


Tender Wolves

by nanaa127



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: AU, Consent Issues, Devotion, Explicit Sexual Content, Jealousy, M/M, Objectification, Power Imbalance, brotherhood era, entitlement
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:29:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 32,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23991574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanaa127/pseuds/nanaa127
Summary: Noctis discovers that Ignis is dating someone, which is totally fine. He's cool with it.Really.
Relationships: Background Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia, Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 71
Kudos: 161





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome! 
> 
> So, the Noctis that we all know and love is pretty awesome and turned out to be a responsible and caring individual despite growing up with what was probably an enormous amount of privilege and minimal parental presence in his life. THIS version of Noct is what he might have been like if he'd been a bit more entitled (and hormonal) and confused about where to draw certain ethical lines. Just a warning - his character will be a bit skewed.
> 
> If I haven't scared everyone away - thanks for reading!  
> (Title from Star Witness - Neko Case)

"And should you find yourself hungry, Noctis, I've re-stocked your crisper with some fruit."

Specs' deep, smooth voice floated to Noct from somewhere behind him. The prince still sort of missed those days when his advisor's voice would break at random times. It had been hilarious, mainly because the poor guy had always looked so startled when it happened. It had definitely been more hilarious than when Noct's own voice started betraying him the same way. 

"You say that like you think I'll actually eat it," the prince replied. "Oh, come on!" Noct threw his controller into the air as he died onscreen in a shower of gore. "Shit."

"Bummer," Prompto sympathized. "You almost had it."

"I would have, if _someone_ hadn't distracted me at like, the most important part," Noct said ominously. He turned on the couch, draping himself over the back as he watched Ignis gather up his papers from the dining table and stuff them into his briefcase. 

"Please accept my deepest and most sincerest apologies, Your Highness," Ignis said seriously. "It wasn't my intention to distract you from such crucial matters."

"Eh, screw you," Noct grumbled, flapping his hands dismissively. "I bet you did it on purpose."

Specs paused and smiled at him. "I would never do such a thing."

"Yeah, uh huh." Noct rolled his eyes. Adults may have been fooled into thinking Specs was some perfect obedient robot, but Noct knew better. "Are you leaving already?"

"I am." Ignis glanced at his wristwatch. "It's 2000 hours, and I did remind you I had the evening off, Noct."

The prince frowned. Maybe he had, Noct didn't know. Okay fine, this was Specs, so he definitely had reminded Noct and Noct didn't remember, but whatever - even if the chamberlain did have the night off, it was rare for him to actually, well, take it off. "You wanna stay and chill?"

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm afraid I can't tonight." Ignis picked up his coat and heading towards the door. Noctis got up from the sofa and followed him, leaning against the wall of the entryway with arms crossed.

"Why not?" And now Noct was officially suspicious. He kinda already had been, from the minute Specs had picked him up from school. There was something different about his chamberlain. His hair? His clothes? Astrals knew that Iggy was always dressed like a boring forty-year old bureaucrat. But was that shirt new? The prince squinted and tried to remember whether he'd seen it before. Ignis usually wore dark colors to signify his close relationship with the royal family, but today he was wearing a pale blue button-down shirt with a thin, dark blue tie under a charcoal gray jacket. It looked...good. Specs always looked good, though. Puberty had bullied the advisor - he'd shot up way too fast and struggled with his skin and had basically resembled a sad walking noodle. But then it had made up for the torture by allowing the twenty-year-old to come out the other end looking like...well, like he did. Not that Noct really cared what Specs looked like one way or the other. 

"I have something I need to see to," Ignis said reluctantly.

"More work? You can do it here if you want. Me and Prompto'll be be quiet, promise."

"No. It's, ah, not work-related."

The prince's eyebrow lifted. "Oh really? What is it?"

"It's nothing to be concerned about," the advisor said, and holy Six, was Specs _blushing_?

"If it makes your face red like that," Noct said, curiosity piqued, "then I'm definitely concerned."

"My face is not red," Ignis denied indignantly even as his pale skin flushed just a shade darker. The prince snickered. There were some times when it was just too damn easy.

"Want me to get you a mirror?"

Ignis sighed, the line of his lips flattening the way they did only when he was getting truly upset. He pushed his spectacles up his nose - he'd swapped out the chunky frames for a new, sleeker pair just a couple months ago. They made him look older, Noct thought. More serious. "Your Highness. Do you need anything from me at the moment?"

Noctis rolled his eyes as his good humor vanished. His moods still had a tendency to careen from one extreme to another, and sometimes the prince felt like a helpless passenger in his own life, a passive victim of fluctuating hormones and chaotic brain chemicals. He tore his gaze away from Specs and chose to stare at the wall instead. "No. I don't."

Whatever was on his face must have not been great, because Specs' own expression softened. He draped his coat over his arm and placed his hands on the prince's shoulders. "Noct. I can stay if you need me to."

"It's fine," Noct said, shrugging. He was tempted to brush off his chamberlain's warm touch, but couldn't quite bring himself to do so.

"Are you certain?" Noct glanced back and Specs looked so damn earnest and concerned that the prince suddenly felt guilty.

"Yeah, I'm good. Get the hell out of here, Specs. You're gonna be late for your hot date or whatever it is." Noct tried not to sound like a petulant child, and he wasn't entirely sure that he succeeded.

"Yes, well." Ignis cleared his throat. "Have a good night, Noctis, Prompto," he said, nodding to the blonde boy that had come over to stand by Noct. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Sure. See ya." As soon as his retainer was out the door, Noctis grabbed Prompto by the arm and dragged him back to the couch. The two boys flopped onto the furniture, gangly limbs tangled together. 

"Dude. What was that all about?" Prompto asked. He shoved Noct's leg aside so he could swing his own onto the cushions.

"Dunno. It was weird though, right?"

"What was?"

"Specs. And the whole..." Noct waved his hands in the air, "thing."

Prompto's face pulled into a confused frown. "You think it's weird that Iggy might have a life?"

"No! I mean, it's totally fine if he does." Noctis grabbed one of the overstuffed cushions and hugged it against his chest. "But like, what would he do?"

Prompto shrugged. "Does he have any hobbies or anything?"

_Shit_. Did Specs have hobbies? He should know this. "Um. He likes to cook?" 

The blonde gave Noctis a curious look. "Isn't that part of his job?"

"I guess so, but all this stuff isn't just work for him. This isn't just a job." _I'm not just a job._ Was he? Specs was...well, it was hard to describe what exactly he was. Sure, he was officially the prince's Royal Advisor, future Hand of the King, an indispensable Lucis Caelum retainer like other Scientias before him. But Specs was more than just a bunch of titles. And Noct was pretty sure that he was more than a daily grind to Specs. Right? He had to be. They were like, friends and shit. A black cloud of doubt coalesced, rumbling at the edges of his mind like a gathering storm. "He likes hanging out here. With us." _With me._

"Yeah, I'm sure he does. But, you know. Must be nice to have some private time." Prompto pointed out tentatively.

"Hmm." Noct pursed his lips. Private time. As in, time away from him. The prince tried to convince himself that it was only fair - he'd locked himself in his bedroom or snuck out to the arcade with Prompto for the express purpose of getting away from Iggy plenty of times. But that was also different. Noct was having a hard time trying to articulate why it was different, but it definitely was. "Whatever. He can do what he wants."

"Okay then. Hand me the controller? It's my turn to kick some ass."

"Get it yourself," Noct retorted, throwing his pillow at Prompto's head. The blonde yelped at the unexpected assault-by-cushion.

"Jerk." Prompto leaned over to pick up the game controller off the floor where Noctis had tossed it. He turned to the prince with a smirk. "Ready for a true master to show you how it's done?"

Noctis rolled his eyes and groaned. "Dude. Get over yourself."

As he shifted onto his side to watch his friend play, Noct forced himself to take his mind off Ignis and what his advisor might be doing. Maybe Prompto was right - he was totally overreacting to a bunch of stupid nothing. And it wasn't even like this was the first time Specs had left his flat early. It was fine. Iggy was free to do what he wanted. And if he wanted to spend time away from Noct - well then. That didn't bother him at all.

____________________

"Specs, come on, please? Please?"

Noct huddled by his locker, whisper-yelling into cell phone, which he wasn't supposed to have on. But this was an _emergency_ , goddamn it. Like, end-of-the-world, might-fail-Lucian-history-if-I-don't-turn-in-this-assignment-and-wouldn't-that-be-embarrassing-considering-my-family-basically- _is_ -Lucian-history type stuff. His gaze flicked up and down the hallway, hyper-vigilant in the way that Gladio had taught him. Of course, the Shield probably hadn't meant for that particular lesson to be applied to this particular situation.

"Noctis, really. I asked you four times whether you had all your homework before we left this morning." Ignis' disapproval was so thick Noct could have squeezed it out of the air and smeared it on toast. 

"Yeah, I know you did."

"And you promised the last time this happened that you had learned your lesson and would not do it again."

"Look, I get it. It's my bad, I know, and I'm super sorry. I swear I thought it was in my bag. But I forgot I had taken it back out to look it over before I went to bed, just in case."

Specs heaved a sigh so long that the prince was a bit worried that his chamberlain would pass out from a lack of air. " _Four times_ , Your Highness."

Despite the censure, Noctis could practically see the cracks forming in Iggy's resolve. If he poked in just the right place, Specs' firm stance would shatter, just like the ice sculpture he'd 'accidentally' knocked into at last year's Winter Solstice festival. Gods, that had been satisfying. "And I should have remembered. But we put so much work into that report, I wanted to make sure it was like, perfect. Totally perfect."

There was a long pause and Noct held his own breath. Maybe he'd laid it on a little too thick? Then, "You realize I'm going to be late for the afternoon Council session."

The prince winced. He had an general idea of how much Ignis struggled to find his place on the Council. It wasn't so much anything his chamberlain said as much as it was the tense line of his shoulders and pinched look he sometimes got around his eyes after the meetings adjourned. "Sorry, Specs. I am. I wouldn't ask you to do this if it wasn't like, super important."

"I'm sure," Ignis said resignedly. "It's by your bed, you said?"

Relief flooded through the prince. It looked like he wouldn't fail his class after all. "Yeah, should be."

"Traffic will be wretched because of construction and the end of lunch hour rush. It'll take me about forty five minutes to get it to you. Is that acceptable?"

"That's fine."

"I'll meet you by the front office, then."

"Got it. Thanks again, Specs. You're the best."

"That I am," Ignis agreed before hanging up.

Noct suffered through his math class, paying more attention to the clock on the wall than he did to the teacher that was droning on about something something cosine something triangles. He knew that a good education was important - at least, that's what Specs and his dad kept insisting - but seriously, when was he going to use any of this stuff?

When the bell finally rang, Noct rushed outside, across the courtyard and and into the administrative building. He had less than five minutes to grab his homework from Specs and haul ass to his next class. As he raced down the tiled hallways, he spotted Ignis waiting for him, standing in front of the glass-walled front office and with a bland, polite expression on his face. He appeared to be chatting with one of the new administrative assistants that worked with the principal. The young woman was standing close to his chamberlain. Very, _very_ close. 

"Your Highness. There you are," Iggy called out as soon as he saw the prince. His eyes lit with relief.

"Hey, Specs. Got it for me?" Noctis eyed the woman warily as he approached. She was pretty, in a generic sort of way, with curly brown hair wrapped into a high bun and wide brown eyes. The admin tossed a tight little smile at the prince. 

"I do, yes. It was very nice to meet you, Amalia. Thank you for keeping me company while I was waiting."

It was about as courteous as a dismissal could be, and thankfully, the young woman got the hint. "It was my pleasure," she purred. Gods, if she'd had a tail Noct was pretty sure it would be swishing back and forth with satisfaction. She reached out and placed a hand on Iggy's arm, allowing her touch to linger too long for it to be a simple, friendly gesture. Noct's jaw clenched as a jolt of something dark and unpleasant shot through him. He seriously considered slapping the admin's hand off his retainer. For Specs' sake, of course. "If you ever need anything, please let me know. I'm happy to help."

The prince rolled his eyes. _Astrals, could she be more fucking obvious?_

"Of course. I appreciate it," Ignis said cordially. 

"And now I'm gonna be late for my next class," Noctis grouched as he watched the woman walk away with a not-so-subtle sway to her hips.

Ignis lifted an eyebrow as he held out a stapled stack of papers. "You wouldn't have been if you'd remembered to pack this in your bag this morning."

"Yeah, yeah," the price muttered as he moved closer to snatch his homework. Noctis paused, his own hand frozen as he sniffed at the air. _Is that...Is Specs wearing cologne? Weird._ His chamberlain rarely wore any fragrances, claiming that he preferred to be neutral and that smelling clean never offended anyone. Specs only broke out the stuff for important events after his uncle had gifted him an expensive bottle at his majority birthday. It was smoky and spicy, and if Noct was honest he kinda liked it. It suited Specs. But this - the prince took another whiff - this was an entirely different scent, fresh and cool and decidedly masculine. It was faint, but it was definitely there, and maybe even kind of familiar.

"Noct?" Ignis shook the papers at him. 

"Huh? Oh, right." Noct absently took the proffered report. Maybe his retainer had suffered through a meeting with someone who bathed in cologne. There were more than a couple of those people kicking around the Citadel - Noct always held his breath when they passed. Or maybe Specs was a victim of a drive-by spraying at one of those perfume kiosks. But when would he have time to even be wandering by one of those? The prince knew that his chamberlain's schedule tended to be packed and okay, he was spending way too much time thinking about this. Apparently Specs had come to the same conclusion.

"Is something the matter?" And now Iggy was giving him one of those concerned stares that meant that he'd probably be hovering for the entire evening. Just great. 

"No, sorry. Just, uh, thinking. Anyway, gotta run if I'm going to be..." the prince glanced at his watch, "late for my next class. Shit."

Ignis shook his head. "As I am for my appointment. I'll see you in a few hours, Noctis. Do try and suppress your delinquent tendencies until then."

"No promises," the prince said, waving as he walked backwards away from his advisor. "Thanks again!"

Specs waved back before turning and rushing out a different door. Today he was wearing a pair of black, tailored trousers and a lightweight, dark grey cashmere sweater. The outfit was simple, but the clothes fit his figure perfectly, showing off the broad line of his shoulders and the narrow taper of his hips. The pants hugged the curve of his - 

_Fucking hell, what are you doing?_ Noct abruptly whirled around, embarrassed by his train of thought. _Stop it_. He was obviously overtired or something. Or hungry. In hindsight, maybe he shouldn't have tossed the leftovers from the lunch Ignis had packed him, vegetables or no. Hunger did weird things to his brain. _Yeah. That must be it._

____________________

"Is there something going on with Specs?"

"What? And for the tenth fucking time, pay attention to your footwork. Don't be lazy."

Noct's brows pulled down in concentration as he shifted his feet and then raised his practice greatsword to block Gladio's blow. It came down at him at half the speed and power that he knew Gladio was capable of wielding, but it still made his arms shake. They'd been at it for an hour already, and Noct was getting tired. No, scratch that. He'd been tired fifteen minutes ago. Now he was tired, sore, hungry and really fucking ready to be done. 

After running through a few more exchanges in their slow spar, Gladio finally decided that they were finished. Or, as he put it, "I can't stand watching your crap form anymore."

Noctis glared at his Shield from where he'd collapsed onto the mats. "If I've got crap form, doesn't that make you a crap teacher?"

Gladio snorted as he nudged at the prince's foot. "There are some things not even my amazing skill can overcome. And get your ass up, princess. You need to stretch."

With a groan, Noct clambered to his feet and began to follow Gladio through their cooldown routine. He'd skipped it a few times in the past and always ended up regretting it severely the next day. It was kinda boring, but felt good to loosen tight, heavily used muscles. They began with standing stretches, carefully working tired limbs, and then moved the the floor to finish. The prince and Shield worked in silence, broken only by Gladio's instructions. Noct was pressed up into an abdominal release when he turned to his retainer.

"So is there?"

"Is there what?"

Noct sighed, which took a bit of effort considering the position he was in. He flopped back down onto the mats and rolled over onto his back. Noctis trained his sight onto one of the lights hung on the high, arched marble ceiling of the private training center, forcing himself to keep staring until his vision threatened to white out. "Is something up. With Specs."

"Why the hell are you asking me? Go ask Iggy."

The prince heaved another sigh, this one more annoyed than the last. "Gee, thanks for the advice," he muttered.

There was a rustling noise to his side and then Gladio was towering over him, glaring down at him and blocking his view of the ceiling. Noct blinked furiously until the white dots dancing across his vision subsided. The Prince's Shield was a big man, as most Amicitia men were, but from this perspective, he seemed almost god-like in stature. "Spit it out," Gladio ordered.

"Spit what out?"

Gladio crossed his arms, his newly completed tattoo rippling over bulging muscles, and gave him a look. It was a balanced blend of irritation and exasperation with a dash of concern, perfected by years and years of practice. He was pretty sure that Gladio and Specs must have collaborated on it, because his chamberlain had an identical one in his arsenal. "That stopped being cute a long time ago, brat. Oh, wait - no, it was never cute. Either tell me what's up or get the fuck out of here. I got stuff to do."

Noctis sat up and pulled his knees into his chest. Faced with Gladio's expectation to actually articulate what was bothering him, he decided that maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all. "Ugh. Never mind."

Rather than kicking him out of the training center, the Gladio shifted his weight and frowned. "Are people fucking with Iggy again?"

Thank the Six, no. Or at least, Noct didn't think they were. Considering how well Ignis had hidden all the bullshit he'd been forced to deal with over the past few years, it made the prince wonder. When Gladio and Noct - okay, so it had been mostly Gladio but Noct had helped - had discovered what was happening, Ignis had forbidden them to do anything about it. "It's under control," he'd insisted stiffly. "I will handle it my way." 

Of course, Noct had ignored his chamberlain and gotten involved anyway, because Specs was _his_ and no one - Councilor, Crownsguard, courtier, or whatever - had the right to mess with what was his. Except, his dad had agreed with Ignis' evaluation of the situation. The king had said that it would be a good assessment of Iggy's 'political saavy' and 'diplomatic skills' or some such stupid shit and then had waved Noct away like he was a small child come to complain about sharing his toys. Never mind that people - old, powerful people - were trying to coerce Specs into exchanging sex for favors, amongst other majorly gross things. Honestly, Noct really needed to stop being so surprised whenever his dad ended up being a huge fucking disappointment. Anyway, even though Noct hadn't been able to do much, he'd seen some of the Crownsguard that that been bothering Ignis walking around with black eyes. Gods, Specs had been _pissed_ at Gladio about that. 

"I don't think so," Noct said tentatively. "He hasn't said anything to me, anyway."

Gladio raised an eyebrow. "You honestly think he would? Good to know you didn't learn anything from the last time."

"You know what? Never mind," Noctis muttered. "Forget I said anything." He made to get up and was forced back down when Gladio pressed his giant hand down on top of Noct's head.

"Nope, you stay there," Gladio ordered. "You've already wasted enough of my time so we might as well keep going. Why are you worried about Iggy?"

"I'm not worried about him, really. He just seems... I dunno. Different?"

Gladio favored him with a thoroughly unimpressed look. "He seems 'different'. I hope you're fucking kidding."

"I told you to forget it."

"And I'm telling you that ain't gonna happen. Different in what way?" 

They had circled back around to point A and Noct still had no idea what to say. Noct knew Specs. They'd been together for so long that there were times when his advisor felt like an extension of himself rather than his own individual person. But at the same time, it was slowly dawning on the prince that there were aspects of Iggy's life that he apparently kept entirely separate from Noct. It was a realization that had sprouted from the whole hazing-and-blackmail fiasco and was being fed by whatever was going now, and it was bugging the absolute shit out of Noctis. Aside from the nicer clothes that Specs had taken to wearing, the rare nights off that he spent elsewhere, that goddamn cologne he kept smelling on his chamberlain - for the first time in their life-long relationship, the prince got the vague sense that he wasn't alone at the very center of Specs' complete, undivided attention. 

"He seems, like, distracted or something."

"Well, no shit. Have you ever taken a look at his calendar? It's a miracle he hasn't lost his damn mind."

"It's more than that. He just seems like maybe he's focusing on other things."

Gladio frowned. "Are you trying to say he's not doing his job?"

"What? No!" Specs would be absolutely livid if he knew that anyone was questioning his dedication. He took care of Noct and did everything he was supposed to do perfectly, because he was Specs and of course he did. But maybe that was it. He was doing everything he was supposed to, but Specs had always done so much more than that, before.

"Then what?" The Shield's fragile patience was rapidly growing very unstable, if the tone of his voice was any indication.

Okay, so if Noct was completely, totally, wholly honest with himself, he had his suspicions. He'd had them for a while now, but they seemed too stupid to say out loud. _What the fuck_ , he thought. _Just go for it_. Gladio already thought he was an immature brat, might as well run with it. "I just... well, do you know if Specs is like, seeing anyone?"

Gladio just stared at him for a full five seconds before bursting into laughter. "Oh gods, are you serious?"

"So what if I am?" Noct scowled, wrapping his arms protectively around his chest. 

"Well shit, Noct." The Shield slapped him on the back, hard. "You jealous or something?" 

It was clearly meant to be a joke, but it woke something hot and angry inside of him. The prince swallowed hard, forcing it back down. "I'm not _jealous_. I was just wondering."

"Uh huh, sure. Shiva's icy tits, Noct, would you even know what to do with Iggy if you had someone like him?"

Noct flushed red. It wasn't like he was inexperienced or anything, but it was always with girls. He'd never even considered dudes that way until - well.

"And it's none of your business anyway," Gladio continued smugly. "Iggy'll tell you if he wants. Until then, let the poor guy have some privacy."

_Privacy_. There was that word, again. Why did Specs suddenly need so much privacy? And why was everyone so eager for him to have it? It had never seemed to be an issue before. Was it Noctis? Had he done something wrong, to warrant this need for separation between prince and advisor? Or was Specs getting tired of him, of serving him, of being with him? _No._ That didn't seem possible. Ignis loved him, he was certain of it, and had already vowed to be by his side until death. And yet... 

"Whatever. Thanks for being totally useless," Noct muttered. 

The Shield smirked at him. "At your service," he said, completely unaware of the ugly little monster he'd unearthed inside his prince. "Glad we had this talk. Now get the fuck out of here."


	2. Chapter 2

Noctis was trying not to stare openly at Specs and was pretty much failing miserably. His chamberlain sat across from him, utterly engrossed by something on his phone. Long strands of ash brown hair fell over his brow, obscuring his eyes as he smiled softly. He'd left it down today - not a weekday, after all - and he looked younger. More like his old self. His thumbs rapidly tapped out a text - Noct craned his head to see if he could catch a glimpse but the angle was all wrong and the type was too small - and then set it on the table by his mug, screen face down. 

"My apologies, Noct," he said when he looked up and found his prince watching him. Despite the bloodshot eyes, he offered a sunny smile. It was one of Noctis' favorites, complete with a wide flash of white teeth and a crinkle of green eyes. "No more distractions."

"That's fine," Noct said a bit sullenly, picking at the half-eaten croissant that sat on his plate. It was still early enough that the café he'd chosen was relatively empty, which meant that it was early enough for Noctis to wish that he was still in bed, sleeping. He glanced at the other patrons and wondered what kind of weirdos got up so early on the weekend. His gaze circled around the café and landed back on his advisor. _Oh yeah. The Specs kind._

"I must admit that it's a pleasant surprise to see you up and about at this hour," Ignis said lightly, stirring a splash of cream into his coffee. "I'd been under the impression that your batteries didn't fully recharge until about noon on weekends."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Noct muttered defensively. The only reason he'd dragged himself awake so early was because he knew it would probably be the best time to catch Specs, before his schedule started to get hectic on a fucking _Saturday_. The prince had literally rolled out of bed about five minutes before he had to leave his flat, giving himself only enough time to brush his teeth and change out of his pajamas, and even that had been a last minute decision because Noct was not opposed to the idea of wandering around in public in his sleepwear. It would have mortified Specs though, to witness his charge, the heir apparent to the Lucian throne, cavorting about Insomnia in boxer shorts and a threadbare t-shirt, so Noct had made the effort. Ignis had shown his appreciation for the prince's thoughtful consideration by humming in mild disapproval and combing his fingers through Noct's hair in an effort to tame the unruly bedhead before they entered the café. Noct had slapped his advisor's hand away with a good-natured grumble.

"So." Ignis took a sip of his coffee and added a little more cream. Enjoying a nice hot cup of coffee was a rare indulgence; usually he just gulped down whatever caffeine was on hand in whatever form it came. "What can I do for you, Your Highness? It must be important if you've given up your lie in."

Noct shrugged. "It's not really. Just wanted to hang out for a bit."

"Oh." Specs looked surprised, and then a genuinely pleased expression settled onto his worn, beautiful face. "Well that's lovely, Noct. I'm honored to be found worthy of such a sacrifice."

Noct rolled his eyes. "You're hilarious."

A little line appeared between Ignis' brows. "I'm glad you think so, but I wasn't joking," he murmured.

"Huh." Suddenly the morning seemed a bit brighter, his croissant a little flakier, his orange juice a little sweeter. Noct tried to recall the last time he and Specs had hung out, just the two of them, no Prompto or Gladio. It had obviously been a while, because he couldn't remember at all.

And so Noct decided not to waste his time - Iggy had a meeting scheduled in half an hour, although the prince idly wondered whether his chamberlain would cancel it for him. Would Specs clear out his whole day, if Noct asked? His entire week? Noct knew he shouldn't because it would probably stress poor Iggy out like crazy, but the sudden need to know settled into the dark corners of the prince's mind. _Maybe one day_. If he was like, bored or something.

But in the meantime, Noct told Ignis the story about a classmate's dog that had driven around in circles for hours because it had somehow gotten the car stuck in reverse, and about the freshman girl that had taken to following him around at school with her pack of friends in tow. It was nothing new - the giggling and whispering and coy looks had started almost immediately after he'd set foot into his public school - but it was still really fucking obnoxious.

"Persistence aside, does she have any other redeeming qualities?" Ignis asked.

"The word you're looking for is 'stalking', Specs. I wouldn't exactly call that a 'redeeming quality'," Noct replied skeptically. "And no."

"None at all?" Ignis grinned at him again over the rim of his coffee cup, and was it just him or was Specs really smiley this morning? Not that he was like, a grumpy asshole or anything, but his chamberlain had definitely never been a super cheerful kind of guy. Noctis sort of felt like he'd been dropped into the Twilight Zone. He was supposed to meet up with Prompto later; maybe he'd find that his friend had turned into an emotionless robot.

"Nah," Noct said, leaning back in his seat. "Not really my type."

"Oh? Then may I ask what is your type?"

Damn it, he'd walked straight into that one. It was an innocent question, but Noct found that he couldn't even begin to formulate a response without turning bright red. _Tall. Smart. Hot. Not female._ Astrals, what the fuck was wrong with him? Clearly, there was a reason he hadn't talked to Specs about this stuff in a while."Uh, don't really know. Definitely not blonde and giggly, though."

"Really? So is it safe to assume that you and Prompto are not an item?"

Shit, he'd walked right into that one too. Specs knew him too fucking well. "No! I mean, _yes_ , you can assume that because we're just friends. And Prompto isn't giggly."

"I beg to differ," Ignis sniffed. 

"That's because you still make him a little nervous," Noct defended his friend. "Although he can be kind of a giggly drunk. Um, not that we ever drink without adult supervision."

"Mmm." Specs raised an eyebrow at him, giving him the 'don't bother, I already know all your secrets' look. "Well, fortunately for you, Lady Lunafreya may be blonde, but based on her rather formidable reputation, she certainly does not strike one as the giggly type."

 _Right_. He'd been betrothed to Luna practically from birth, and he was certainly fond of the Oracle. But that didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun before he was tied down - as far as Noct was concerned, he was still a free man. A free man ogling his very male advisor and holy fucking Six Noct needed to get a hold of himself.

"So anyway," the prince said loudly. Time to get this conversation back on track. "What about you? What's your type?"

"Well. I'm not so sure that I have a type." Ignis took a sip of coffee, hiding his face behind the mug. "Someone that is independent and understanding of a very busy schedule, I suppose."

"Uh huh." Noct began to peel the layers of his croissant apart. The pastry left his fingers slightly slick and greasy. "Someone worth getting dressed up for? Someone who wears nice cologne?" _Someone you'd rather spend time with instead of me?_

"Pardon?"

The prince kept staring down at his plate. "You're seeing someone, aren't you."

"Noctis..."

A glance up revealed an Ignis that was uncharacteristically flustered. The only sign of it was a light flush that was creeping up from the collar of his shirt, but Noct knew Specs well enough - _no one knows him better_ , he thought stubbornly - to realize that he'd caught his advisor completely off guard. If Prompto had been here, Noct would have asked him to take a picture to hang on the fridge. Ignis frowned at his coffee, and the prince could see the reluctance to share warring with his need to serve, to give Noct what he wanted.

"I mean, it's fine. Whatever. You can have your secrets."

Ignis inhaled deeply. "I hadn't - it wasn't meant to be a secret, per se," he said quietly. "It's still very new, and I...I didn't want to make a scene, if it wasn't going to last."

Even though he'd suspected, Ignis' words were a fist thrust straight into his belly. The grey cloud that rolled over him felt an awful lot like deep disappointment, but why should he be disappointed? Sure, Specs was great to look at and and he was, well, _Specs_ , but it wasn't as though Noct had really considered anything more. Ignis was his chamberlain, his lifelong companion. It would be like, totally weird. He was gonna be chill about this, because it wasn't a big deal at all.

"Yeah. I mean, I get it. I'm not like, mad or anything." So said his mouth, anyway. Specs nodded, a hint of unhappiness pulling at the corners of his lips. "How long?"

"A few weeks. It's not, ah, serious, yet." The 'yet' snagged Noctis like a hangnail.

"Is this person nice?"

"Yes, he is," Ignis said solemnly. _Okay, so that settles the rumors about Iggy's preferences._

"And understanding of a very busy schedule." Suddenly, Noct felt like an intrusion in Ignis' life. Something that needed to be worked around, to be shuffled about so that he didn't get in the way of something more pleasurable. "Right?"

"Yes, he's been quite tolerant. He's similarly busy, so it hasn't been too much of an issue."

"That's good." And it was good. Specs deserved someone nice, someone patient, someone who wouldn't call him at 2 AM because he and Prompto were in the middle of an epic King's Knight showdown and they needed sustenance to keep themselves going. Prompto had tried to warn him that it would be a bad idea, and yeah, Specs had really not been happy about that. To be fair, Noct had gambled on the chance that his retainer was still awake. He hadn't been. Noct scowled down at his croissant, which was now just a pile of crumbs.

"Noct." Ignis' warm hand closed on top of his own, long, elegant fingers wrapping around his palm, and Specs must have felt pretty guilty if he was bringing out the touchy-feely stuff. "I'm sorry if I upset you," he said gently. "I hope you know I would never deliberately keep anything important from you. Please forgive my thoughtlessness."

"You don't have to apologize." Noct pulled his hand away and shrugged. "Like I said, it's fine. Hope it works out for you." 

"Thank you, Your Highness." Despite his words, Ignis didn't look particularly grateful. He withdrew his own hand and placed it in his lap.

"Well, I'm gonna head out." Noct scraped his chair back and stood. "I bet you've got stuff to do."

"Indeed." Ignis stood as well. 

"Alright, then. Catch you later."

"Noct," Ignis said quietly. "I wanted - well." The chamberlain paused, gathering his thoughts. "I wanted to thank you for this. It's been a while."

 _And who's fault is that?_ Noctis wanted to snap. He didn't though, because it would have been totally unfair, and Noct wasn't that much of an asshole. He turned away from the table and waved nonchalantly without looking back. "Yeah, it has. See ya, Specs."

____________________

Noctis huffed as he shifted on the couch once more, eyelids barely open as he stared at his TV. He was bored. Super bored. Prompto had begged off for the evening, since his parents were actually in town for once and the blonde felt obligated to spend time with them. Specs had left for his own flat a couple of hours ago, and gods only knew what Gladio was up to. Drinking some dive bar dry with a bunch of Kingsglaive, probably.

The prince rolled onto his back and pulled his blanket over his shoulders, staring up at the ceiling. It was too fucking early on a Friday night to go to bed, and Noct tried not to feel pathetic about the fact that the number of friends he wanted hang out with maxed out at three, two of whom were technically employees. Since Prompto wasn't going to be available, he'd kinda sorta hoped that Specs would stick around for the evening. The Winter Solstice festival and accompanying gala were approaching, and his advisor had been roped into organizing, as if he didn't already have a million other things to do. He'd only seen Specs in short bursts each day for the past few weeks, and even then Iggy had always been at his most efficient, trying to cram as much of his duties into as small a time frame as possible. So Noct had thrown out the offer hopefully, but no, his chamberlain already had plans with his mystery boyfriend. 

"I could reschedule if there is something pressing that you need me to do," Ignis had offered. And he'd been sincere about it, because of course he was. "I'm so sorry, Noct."

"Nah, it's fine." Noct had waved him off. If Noct saw so little of his own retainer, it was possible Ignis' boyfriend hadn't seen him in days. Maybe he hadn't seen Specs at all. A little sprout of satisfaction sprang up inside of the prince and he smiled at it. Noct wasn't going to get in the way of Specs and his life, but if Specs' own schedule got in the way - well, there was nothing he could do about that.

Heaving a noisy sigh, the prince grabbed his phone off the coffee table, ignoring the blaring, mindless noise from his TV. He idly scrolled through his messages, disappointed to find that there wasn't much activity. Maybe he should get some sleep after all - he was tired, and he was going to have to endure the horror of a suit fitting with the Citadel tailor tomorrow. Noct hated being used as a pattern dummy, but he'd outgrown the most recent ones he'd gotten made, and no way was Specs gonna let him show up to the stuffy gala with his ankles and wrists sticking out. Especially not when every eye would be on the eighteen-year-old prince, making his debut as an adult with adult responsibilities to his future kingdom. And what time was that appointment again?

 **Today** 9:48 PM  
**LC Noctis**  
Hey specs

 **LC Noctis**  
Specs soecs specs  
(9:53 PM)

 **S Specs**  
Yes, Noct? And what is a seocs?  
(9:54 PM)

 **LC Noctis**  
Haha, ur hilarious  
When r u pickin me up?  
(9:54 PM)

 **S Specs**  
For what?  
(9:54 PM)

 **LC Noctis**  
Tailor tomorrow, right?  
(9:54 PM)

 **S Specs**  
Yes, that's right. Our appointment is at 1000, so I'll swing by at 0930. I put it on your calendar.  
(9:55 PM)

Oh right. He probably should have checked that before texting Iggy. Oh well.

 **LC Noctis**  
K thanks  
(9:55 PM)

 **S Specs**  
You're welcome. Please make sure you're ready.  
(9:56 PM)

 **LC Noctis**  
Sure  
Ill do my best  
(9:56 PM)

 **S Specs**  
Just to be clear, being awake but still in your pajamas doesn't count.  
(9:58 PM)

 **LC Noctis**  
Haha ok fine, hardass  
(9:58 PM)

 **S Specs**  
Thank you, and don't forget it.  
(9:58 PM)

Noctis tossed his phone back on the table with a snort. Only Specs would thank someone for calling him a hardass. He idly wondered whether this mystery guy got Specs' sense of humor. Or if he even realized that Ignis had one. His chamberlain fooled a lot of people into thinking he was actually a dour old man. 

The prince glued his eyes to the TV screen once more. Noct still hadn't met the guy Specs was dating, even though it had been a couple weeks since Noct had gotten him to confess. It was still too new, or so his chamberlain claimed. If it had been anyone else, Noct really wouldn't have given two shits, but he had to admit - secretly, of course - that he was pretty much dying of curiosity. What was Mr. Mysterious like? Older? Younger? Smart? Dumb as rocks? Good looking? Kind of meh? Exactly what kind of man attracted someone like Specs, a person who was so particular about every damn thing in his life?

With a groan, Noct pushed himself upright and began to make his way towards his bedroom. He was thinking about this way, way too much. _Think about something else. Anything else._ King's Knight. Training. Pandas. The paper he was supposed to write on ancient Tenebraen literature that was due on Monday that he hadn't even started yet. Speaking of...

 **Today** 10:41 PM  
**LC Noctis**  
Hey specs  
Sorry to bother u again

 **S Specs**  
It's fine. What is it?  
(10:43 PM)

 **LC Noctis**  
Do you know anything about old tenebran stuff  
Tenebraean  
(10:43 PM)

 **S Specs**  
Let me guess: you have an assignment due soon, and you haven't started yet.  
(10:43 PM)

Noctis could almost see the exasperated look on his advisor's face.

 **LC Noctis**  
U know me too well  
But yeah sorry :c  
So do you? Its like ur motherland  
(10:43 PM)

 **S Specs**  
It's, not its. You're going to have to be more specific than 'old Tenebraean stuff'.  
(10:44 PM)

 **LC Noctis**  
Ancient poetry by an ancient lady named iva  
(10:44 PM)

 **S Specs**  
I'm somewhat familiar with her works. When is this due?  
(10:45 PM)

Noct grinned. When Specs said he was 'somewhat familiar' with something, it usually meant that he could probably write a fucking book on the topic. Having a walking encyclopedia for an advisor was really handy sometimes.

 **LC Noctis**  
Monday  
(10:45 PM)

 **S Specs**  
Well, I suppose it could it have been worse. At least you remembered before Sunday evening.  
(10:46 PM)

 **LC Noctis**  
I do what I can :D  
(10:46 PM)

 **S Specs**  
My sleep schedule appreciates it. We can begin working on it tomorrow, after your appointment.  
(10:46 PM)

 **LC Noctis**  
Ha please, I know you don't sleep  
(10:47 PM)

 **S Specs**  
Not for a lack of desire, I assure you.  
(10:47 PM)

 **LC Noctis**  
Ur the best specs thx  
(10:47 PM)

 **S Specs**  
You're very welcome.  
(10:48 PM)

Noct plopped down on his bed, staring down at the phone cradled between his hands. Would it be too nosy to ask? He wasn't like, trying to spy or anything. He just wanted to make sure Specs was happy. As the prince, wasn't it Noct's responsibility to look after the well-being of his retainers? He was pretty sure it was.

 **LC Noctis**  
R u still chillin w the bf?  
(10:52 PM)

 **S Specs**  
I am, yes. He says hello.  
(10:55 PM)

 **LC Noctis**  
Ok, hi  
Just wanted to make sure ur ok  
(10:55 PM)

 **S Specs**  
That's very kind, Noctis. We're doing fine.  
(10:55 PM)

 **LC Noctis**  
K then  
Think I'm gonna turn in  
(10:56 PM)

 **S Specs**  
Goodnight, Noct. Sleep well. Remember, 0930 sharp.  
(10:56 PM)

 **LC Noctis**  
Yeah yeah got it  
Night  
(10:56 PM)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to admit, I text more like Iggy than like Noct, so I hope that came off okay. And also, the dog story was in the news a while ago...it happened in Florida, naturally.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

"After you step with your right, step left, right and then right again. You step twice on the same foot, Your Highness."

Noctis dropped his arms and sighed. His dance instructor, an elderly Accordian immigrant, might have infinite patience for this shit, but he definitely didn't. "But the first time around, you told me to step right-left-right-left."

"Yes, that's correct," Lady Chorea said, adjusting her half-moon spectacles. "For the first movement of this piece, the base steps are right-left-right-left. But in the second movement, the time signature changes and the steps along with it." 

"What's wrong with keeping it the same?" Noct muttered. They'd been at it for an hour already and he felt like he was no closer to remembering all the steps and rhythms and arm placements and on and on. As he'd gotten older, his duties as Crown Prince had expanded considerably. The gala would be his first official appearance at a state event as an adult, and his participation in the displays to celebrate cultural diversity or whatever was mandatory. Which meant that instead of running around parties stuffing his face full of canapés the way he used to when he was a kid, he now had to stuff himself full of shit like traditional Accordian dances, which he'd be fully expected to puke back up - in front of an _audience_ , no less - during the Winter Solstice gala.

Lady Chorea frowned. "If one were to keep the steps the same, the initial step would have to change with every measure. That could become quite confusing, I'm sure. Now, attend me: in the first movement, it is a four-four, like so." She tapped out the beats with her cane. "The second movement is a three-four." More beats, and Noct was getting very, very tired of listening to that damn cane strike against the floor. "Do you hear it? One-two-three, one-two-three. Right-left-right, right-left-right."

The prince shot another pleading look at his chamberlain, who had come to pick him up. Specs had arrived a little early and was leaning against the wall, arms and legs crossed, observing the end of the lesson. Noctis had been tossing silent 'come save me' pleas at him, but either the message wasn't getting through or Specs was deliberately ignoring him, because Ignis just smiled indulgently - like a parent watching his three-year-old scribble out a crayon masterpiece - and stayed put. Until now. 

"Perhaps I could be of assistance," Ignis offered, pushing away from the wall. He gave the instructor a small bow. "I sometimes find that these dances make more sense with a partner."

"I do agree, Mr. Scientia, but the prince would require a partner that follows, not one that leads."

"Well, luckily for His Highness, I'm quite adept at leading and following." Noct rolled his eyes. Of course Iggy knew both parts. Fucking show off.

"Excellent! Please take your place then, Mr. Scientia." 

With a flamboyant little bow, Ignis offered his hand to the prince. Noct took it reluctantly. Just great - as if all this wasn't bad enough, Ignis would now get to experience first-hand just how bad Noct was at this crap.

"Chin up, Noct. Dancing with me won't be so bad," Ignis said, guiding Noctis' hand around his slim waist and placing his own on the prince's shoulder. "No one is here to watch us."

"That's the least of my worries," Noctis muttered. "This is the worst."

Lady Chorea began the music, and a swell of violins and cellos echoed through the small studio. Although Noct was technically supposed to be leading, he allowed Ignis' sure steps and firm guidance to direct him through the dance. Even so, he stepped on the advisor's toes, once, twice, three times.

"Ugh, sorry," Noct whispered. "Gods, I'm supposed to do this with some stranger at the gala? I'm gonna end up breaking their foot."

Ignis chuckled quietly. "We have plenty of time before then. Think of this like you're learning to fight - the end goals may be different, but both dancing and sparring require a specific set of movements in relation to a partner. Does that help?"

"I guess," Noct said skeptically. Well, if he thought of this like fighting, at least he wouldn't feel so bad if he accidentally broke someone's bones.

"You're becoming quite skilled at battle, Noctis. If you've mastered that, you can most certainly master this." Specs smiled kindly at him again, looking as content as Noct had ever seen him, and the prince was suddenly very aware of how close they were. He could feel the heat from Ignis' body warming his own, could feel the play of lean muscles under his hands as the chamberlain gracefully swept him along. Today, Ignis smelled exactly like himself, clean with a hint of soap and aftershave and not a trace of obnoxious cologne to get in the way. Startlingly green eyes looked down into his own from behind crystal lenses, and Noctis could clearly see every freckle, every mole, every scar that made Ignis _Ignis_. Noct swallowed. Had Specs always been this unbelievably gorgeous?

"Relax, Noct," Ignis murmured. "This will be much easier if you're not so stiff." 

_Easier said than done,_ Noct thought, squirming uncomfortably. Ignis' close proximity was having some very unfortunate, uncontrollable effects on his body, and trying to hold his hips away so that his growing erection didn't accidentally bump into his chamberlain was making for some really awkward dancing. 

"A bit closer, if you please." Ignis tried to pull him in so that they would be the proper distance apart, and Noctis panicked, releasing the other man and abruptly pushing him away. The prince's actions were met with a surprised expression. "Everything alright, Noct?"

"Um, yeah." Noctis casually clasped his hands in front of his groin, hoping like hell that his pants were baggy enough not to show any embarrassing bulges. It wasn't as though Specs hadn't already seen everything there was to see of Noctis - the chamberlain had even once walked in on him when he'd been beating off, and new privacy rules had been very quickly established after some embarrassed yelling and door slamming - but explaining this one was gonna be hard, no pun intended. "I think that's enough for today. My, uh, back is starting act up. I had a rough training session with Gladio this morning."

"Oh?" Ignis frowned at him, his previous serenity replaced by concern. "You should have mentioned something earlier. We could have rescheduled this lesson if your back is bothering you."

"It's alright, I thought I could get through it," Noct deflected. "It's not that bad."

Ignis shook his head. "This is not something to be taken lightly, Noct. I will have a word with Gladio and let him know that his sessions have been too strenuous," the advisor said briskly. He picked up his briefcase and opened it up, rooting through the contents with terse motions.

_Oh shit. Stupid mouth, why did you have to go and say that?_ "Nah, it's fine, really. I can take it. No need to say anything to Gladio at all." Imagining his Shield's reaction to being told that he should back off when there was really nothing wrong with Noct other than overactive hormones was enough to make his cock wilt, thank the gods.

Ignis' gaze softened as he handed Noctis a couple of mild painkillers and a bottle of water. "Here, take these. I appreciate your willingness to push yourself, Noct," he continued, "but keep in mind that the doctors thought a growth spurt could re-aggravate the injuries to your back. There's no shame in easing off some of your activities if it gets to be too much. Your health is the most important thing."

Noct silently snorted. _Says the guy that would rather walk around with appendicitis than call in sick._ Boy, hadn't his dad been super surprised when Specs had thrown up everywhere in the middle of their meeting. Anyway, regardless of the blatant hypocrisy, the intensity of concern in Specs' eyes was almost too much. It was always there, really, in varying degrees, but for some reason, right here, right now, the knowledge that Ignis always cared so deeply for him made his chest hurt. Ignis was _his_ , and he was Ignis'. Nothing, no stupid boyfriend with the stupid good-smelling cologne would ever get between them. Noct would make sure of it.

____________________

"Man, this was place was hard to find. Move your scrawny ass over, blondie."

"Dude, for the last time, I'm not scrawny," Prompto protested as he slid over in the booth seat. "I'm _sleek_." 

Gladio laughed as he shoved his bulk into the space Prompto vacated. "Sleek? What are you, a fucking seal? Do you do circus tricks?"

"Yeah, I do. Here's one." The blonde boy blew on his thumb and his middle finger popped up to salute the Shield.

"Wow, that's really cool," Gladio said. "Or it was like, ten years ago."

"It's retro," Noct mumbled around a mouthful of french fries. "And how would you know it was cool ten years ago? Were you running around flipping people off when you were like, what, eleven?"

Gladio shrugged, helping himself to a handful of the prince's fries. Noct squawked in protest as half his appetizer disappeared. "If they deserved it, then yeah."

"Some role model you are," Noct grumbled. "And to think my dad used to tell me to look up to you."

"First of all," Gladio said, "you'll always look up to me because you're a shrimp. Second of all, as much as I hate to say it, you could've turned out worse. So apparently, I was just fine as a role model. You're welcome."

"Pretty sure that was all Specs, not you," Noct retorted. 

"Speaking of, where is Iggy?" Prompto asked. "Is he gonna be late?"

"He couldn't make it. Said he had an 'urgent matter to attend to'," Noctis said, crooking his fingers into air quotes. Even though Specs hadn't come out right out and said it, Noct just knew that whatever issue the advisor was dealing with probably had to do with his goddamn boyfriend. The prince was starting to get very, very tired of this guy butting into his time with Specs. Ignis was _his_ retainer. Ignis should be by _his_ side, attending to _his_ wants and needs. Noct and Specs had been inseparable for fourteen years and counting. And now what, some dude that had been in the picture for like, a couple months was trying get in between them? Seriously, _fuck_ lover boy.

"That's Iggy code for like, _I'm banging my boyfriend tonight_ , right?" Prompto asked.

"I think it's code for _none of your fucking business_ ," Gladio said, making a disgusted face. "So Iggy couldn't make it. He had some shit to take care of, he'll make it next time. No big deal."

"I'm not like, trying to be nosy or whatever," Prompto said. "But I mean, Igs must have dudes lined up outside his door, right?"

"And let me guess, you wanna be at the front of that line," Gladio said, eyeing Prompto warily. The Shield was always fiercely protective of the chamberlain against all comers. _We get each other_ , he liked to say. _No one else knows what our lives are like_.

The blonde's face turned bright red. "No! I mean, yeah he's like super freakin' hot, but come on. Iggy's way out of my league." 

Gladio smirked at Prompto. "Well, what do you know. You're smarter than you look. Hand me a menu, will you? I'm fucking starving."

The prince sighed as he slid a laminated menu towards his Shield. "Specs hardly spends time with me anymore. With us," Noct complained.

Gladio gave him a strange look. "You're kidding, right? He hauls your royal ass around every day."

"You know what I mean. Like, we don't hang anymore."

"Yeah," Prompto agreed. "I feel like I haven't seen Iggy in forever."

Gladio's response was surprisingly measured. "He's busy as fuck, what do you expect? This gala shit has been grinding him down, so cut him some slack."

"I know that," the prince murmured sourly. "But still. He should be here, with us." _With me._

"Noct, don't even _think_ about guilt tripping him on this. I'll kick your ass into next week if you do," the big man warned, leaning over the table towards the prince, "so knock it off."

Noct threw himself back against the cushioned vinyl backing. "Whatever," he muttered.

Gladio's eyes narrowed as he considered Noctis. "Also, did you say something to Iggy about our training sessions being too hard?"

_Oh shit. Should have known Specs would chew Gladio out anyway_. "Uh, no," Noct lied. "Why? So, how about some burgers?"

Gladio made an unimpressed face. "You're a terrible liar. Just FYI, you're gonna be doing an extra set of wind sprints every day for the next month."

Noct sighed. "Can't wait," he mumbled gloomily.

"Wind sprints are great for conditioning!" Prompto said enthusiastically. "I try to work them in with my long distance runs."

"Great. Wanna do mine for me?"

"Ha, nope. You're on your own, buddy. Might wanna rethink that burger, though."

Just to spite Prompto - and Specs, who definitely would have frowned disapprovingly at the entire menu - Noctis ordered the double stack leukorn burger with bacon, cheese sauce and a fried egg. Much to his delight, there wasn't a single vegetable on his plate, other than the potatoes that had been fried to a perfect crisp. He took a few photos of the meaty masterpiece, changing angles to best capture the fat glistening all over the buttered bun. Once he had a picture that looked satisfyingly greasy, he texted it to Specs. His chamberlain shouldn't miss out on the fun of trying a new diner just because his boyfriend was a needy jerk.

**Today** 8:12 PM  
**LC Noctis**  
Hey specs, check it out  
Looks good, right?

Noct put his phone down and took a giant bite of his burger. It was absolute heaven - the leukorn patties were fatty and tender, the bacon smoky and crisp. The rich, smooth yolk from the fried egg mixed with the salty cheese sauce and dribbled down his fingers. He licked them clean, earning a proud look from Gladio.

"You eat like a fucking barbarian," the Shield said approvingly, ripping an enormous chunk out of his own meal. "Good to know Iggy hasn't ruined you completely."

Noct grinned and took another photo of the mauled burger and sent it to his chamberlain, leaving little oily fingerprints all over his screen.

**LC Noctis**  
Look what ur missing out on  
Specs  
(8:16 PM)

Noct munched on a hot french fry as he awaited a response. Specs always came through - the advisor considered it a failure of duty or something equally dramatic if he wasn't available to Noct at all times. 

**S Specs**  
That looks...unhealthy  
(8:18 PM)

**LC Noctis**  
Its protein  
Protein is good for me  
(8:18 PM)

**LC Noctis**  
Think u could make this?  
Seems easy, u could do it  
(8:19 PM)

**LC Noctis**  
Speeeeeecs stop ignoring me  
(8:21 PM)

**S Specs**  
My apolgies  
Apologies  
(8:22 PM)

Noct snorted as he continued to work on his food. Clearly Iggy was distracted if he was sending messages through with typos - nothing drove Specs up a wall faster than spelling and grammatical errors, and he considered auto correct to be the work of the devil. 

**LC Noctis**  
Its fine, I want this for dinner every nite  
(8:22 PM)

**LC Noctis**  
Srsly iggy what's up?  
(8:24 PM)

**S Specs**  
V sorry your highness, if not urgent could we continue tomorrow?  
(8:25 PM)

Noct stared at his phone, irritation creeping over him like a black, stinking miasma. Specs didn't want to hang out with him in person, and now he didn't even want to exchange texts? Okay so maybe his dinner wasn't like, vital to the survival of the human race or whatever, but at the moment it was important to Noct. Shouldn't that have made it important to Specs? It wasn't as if his advisor was stuck in a Council session or anything. With a scowl, he stabbed out a response.

**LC Noctis**  
Fine whatever  
(8:26 PM)

**S Specs**  
Thank you, so sorry  
(8:27 PM)

Noct tossed his phone onto the seat next to him, his appetite gone. Seriously, what the fuck was Specs doing that was so damn crucial he didn't have time for his prince? What could possibly - 

Prompto's previous words floated up in his brain like a saucy little bubble. Oh. _Oh shit._ Really? Were Ignis and lover boy fucking right now? Was that why Specs was ignoring him?

Noct's entire body flushed hot as his mind went into super overdrive. His imagination practically tripped over itself in its haste to figure out what that would look like, frantically slapping up jumbled impressions of two bodies tangled together and lots of bare skin. Sweaty skin. Iggy skin. Was mystery man blowing Specs right now? Or was Ignis down on his knees, his pretty mouth wrapped around his boyfriend's dick, cheeks hollowed as his head bobbed up and down? Did Specs even do that sort of thing? Did he enjoy it? Or were they like, actually fucking? Noct had never had sex with a boy - and okay fine, he technically hadn't had actual sex with a girl yet either even though he'd gotten pretty far - but he'd seen enough gay porn to know how it worked between two guys. He thought of Specs sprawled on his back, pliant and willing, his long legs bent and splayed as he welcomed his boyfriend to use his body. Ignis' eyes would flutter shut as he tilted his head back, and a soft whimper would escape him as a slick cock pressed against him and slowly entered, splitting him wide open. Specs would moan his name as Noct pushed deep inside, kept pushing until his hips were right up against Specs' ass and his dick was completely buried - 

"Noct. Noct!" A heavy, booted foot crashed into his leg, slapping him out of his hormone fueled haze.

"Ow! What the fuck?" The prince's knee jerked up and crashed into the underside of the table. He scowled at Gladio. 

"I've been calling your name for like five minutes, princess," Gladio said, smirking at him. "You looked like you'd gone brain-dead or something." 

"Well, I hadn't, so you broke my leg for nothing. Thanks a lot."

The Shield shrugged. "Not my fault you got delicate bones."

"What were you thinking about, Noct? You were like, a zillion miles away," Prompto said.

"Uh..." Noctis was suddenly very aware of how uncomfortably tight the front of his pants were, how unbelievably hard he was. _Shit. Again?!_ Gods, it was like starting puberty all over again. He bit his lip and pressed the heel of his hand hard against his groin, praying that his erection would just go away. At least there was no wet spot on his pants. And exactly what was he supposed to tell Prompto? _Well, I was just thinking about my chamberlain having sex with his boyfriend, because that's not creepy at all, and then that turned into some weird fantasy of me fucking my chamberlain. It was kinda hot, and now I've got a massive boner. Nothing to see here!_

"Were you texting with Iggy? Will he be able to make it after all? You should tell him we're done so he doesn't waste his time coming out here."

"Um, yeah. I mean, I was texting Specs, and no, he's not coming." Well, none of that was a lie. 

"And of course you're pestering Iggy after I told you he was busy. Gods, you're needy." Gladio rolled his eyes. "You wanna ask for the check?" 

"No! Not yet," Noct yelled. He had unfortunately chosen to wear a tight pair of jeans, and was sure that the bulge he was sporting would become immediately obvious as soon as he stood up. "I hear the milkshakes here are good. Let's try one before we leave?"

"Ugh, pass," Prompto said, making a face. "I'm gonna have to run extra miles tomorrow morning if I eat anymore. But you guys go ahead."

Gladio shrugged. "Fine with me."

With one potential embarrassment averted, Noct waved their waitress over and put in an order for one chocolate and one kupoberry milkshake. What the hells was wrong with him? He wasn't into Specs, there was just no fucking way. Right? But why not? Why shouldn't he have a thing for his smart, stunning chamberlain? Sure he was a dude, but so what? It was modern times and all, nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, they were practically a couple anyway, considering how close they were and always would be. And hadn't Ignis been given to Noctis expressly to meet the prince's every need? Specs always said it was his pleasure to serve, and now Noct kinda wanted to know if it would be his pleasure to serve his prince while on his back. Or on his hands and knees.

His brain kept trying to slink towards the vision of a naked Iggy speared on his cock, and Noct kept reeling it back. _Not now._ Not when the blood was finally exiting his dick. No, he'd save those images for later, when he was alone and had time to really enjoy them. And then... well. He'd maybe have to see about making them a reality.


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh my gods your face. Your _faaaaaaace_." Noct giggled as he bumped into Prompto.

"Wha?" Prompto pressed his palms flat against his cheeks and squeezed, making his lips squish together like a freckled fish. "Wuz wrong wi' m'face?"

Noct snorted with laughter. "Nothin'. Your face is awesome, Prompto. Prom. Prom-prom-pom-pom. Rompy."

"Whatevs. Octis. No-no. Noctopus."

"Noctopus. Noooooctopuuuuuus." He imagined himself with six extra arms and burst into laughter again because it was _hilarious_. Man, he hadn't felt this good in a while. He was incredibly lightheaded, and the wild spinning of the ground beneath his feet hadn't crossed into nauseating territory yet. Why the hells didn't he drink more often? Oh right, 'cause it was technically still illegal for him. And because he got disgustingly pukey afterwards. And because Specs would totally give him the old stinkeye when he finally picked them up. But still...sooooo totally worth it.

The night was unusually cold, but Noct hardly felt it, swaddled as he was in a warm, alcoholic cloud. He jammed his hands into the pockets of his heavy coat and blew out a white frosted breath. "Ugh, what the fuck is takin' Specs so long?" he asked, impatiently stomping his feet on the sidewalk. "I called him like, how long ago? What time is it?"

"It's, um..." Prompto squinted at his wrist before remembering that he was't wearing a watch. He fumbled his phone out of his pocket and dropped it twice before successfully turning it on. "Oh. Two. Is that what that says?" He held the screen up to Noct.

"Yeah. We can read!" He offered his gloved hand for a high five, and Prompto enthusiastically slapped at his forearm. The mishit set Noctis off again and he doubled over laughing. "Wow, that sucked!"

"Not my fault! You like, totally moved your arm!" Prompto slurred accusingly.

"Noooooo, you're just bad at high fives." 

"Oh yeah? Am I? Am I?" Prompto started randomly slapping at Noct, earning them a curious look from a couple walking by. 

"Shit, alright! Fine!" Noct took a clumsy swipe at Prompto's hands, trying to grab them as they kept smacking at him. "Gods, you suck. Stop it!"

"First you hafta say 'Prompto is awesome at high fives'. No no, say 'Prompto is the king of high fives. Prompto is way better than Noct at high fives.'"

"How 'bout 'no, screw you'," Noct snickered.

"Gentlemen, this is a public sidewalk, not a boxing ring." Ignis' unexpected reprimand froze both boys. The retainer's rich voice was roughened with interrupted sleep, and damn if it wasn't one of the sexiest things Noct had ever heard. He'd heard it before, obviously - this wasn't the first late-night rescue Specs had been called to - but for some reason Noct hadn't realized how hot it was until now. He whirled around to greet his chamberlain, lost his balance and ended up on his ass at Prompto's feet.

"Oh shit, dude! You alright?" The blonde pawed at Noct's arms, trying and failing to pull him to his feet. A car door slammed and then an exhausted-looking Ignis was there, crouched in front of him. The chamberlain was dressed haphazardly in sweatpants and peacoat, with a thick, green knitted scarf wrapped around his neck. His hair was sticking up at odd angles, mashed on one side of his head and all fluffy on the other. 

"Noctis? Are you hurt?" Ignis asked.

Noct considered the question seriously. "Nope," he finally said. "Dizzy." This close, he could see the little pillow wrinkles pressed into Ignis' pale cheek. The prince suddenly felt guilty - he knew Specs didn't get nearly as much sleep as he should. Still, he always came when Noctis called for him. Noct reached up and tried to smooth Ignis' hair down. The advisor's eyes briefly widened at the contact. "Hi, Specs."

A hint of a smile turned up the corners of Ignis' lips. "Hello, Noct. If you're good, then up we go." Ignis lifted Noct to his feet. "We will be having a very long conversation about personal responsibility tomorrow morning, when you are sober enough to remember it."

"Oh come oooooon, Specs. You know I'll just ignore you." Oops, well that slipped out. Noct hadn't really meant to say that.

"Thank you for your honesty," Ignis said dryly as he dragged Noctis towards the running car. "Come, Prompto. Let's get you home."

The car ride was quiet, silence broken only by Prompto's soft snuffling as he dozed against Noct's shoulder. When they arrived at the blonde's home, Ignis went inside with him to make sure that Prompto didn't like, pass out before making it to his bed or something. Noct pressed his forehead against the cold glass of the car window while he waited. When Ignis emerged from the quiet, dark house, Noct smiled goofily. Specs was awesome. Specs was _his_.

Traffic at this time of night was light, so it was only another ten minutes before they were at Noct's flat. Ignis held Noct steady as the prince staggered towards the elevator and then down the hallway to his front door. Once they were inside, Ignis flipped off his own shoes and then led the prince to his bedroom, murmuring apologies over Noct's shoes tracking dirt into the flat. "I'll clean it up later," Ignis promised. "Let's get you to bed."

Ignis deposited the prince on the edge of his mattress and clicked on the bedside lamp. He then knelt to unlace and remove Noct's shoes. Noct stared down at the top of Ignis' head, watching dizzily as his chamberlain's long, clever fingers undid the knots. The sight of Specs on his knees before him suddenly made Noctis want to grab him by the back of his head and to smash Ignis' face against his crotch. The mental image he'd cultivated of Specs blowing his mystery boyfriend popped into his head and fueled Noct's urgent desire to feel his chamberlain's hot mouth sucking him off. His cock stirred with interest at the idea. He wanted Specs. _Gods_ , but he wanted his chamberlain badly. And _right. Now._

"Specs," Noctis ordered quietly. "Look at me."

Ignis paused as he was neatly setting aside Noct's shoes and looked up as requested. His Specs was so obedient, so good - Noct just knew that Iggy would do anything he asked. He looked so soft and so fucking amazing in the dim lamplight. How was it that Noct had never really seen what was right in front of him?

"Yes, Noct? What is it? Do you feel sick?" All that concern, all that gentle care. All for him. Noctis grew harder. 

The prince slowly began to unwind the green muffler that was still around Ignis' neck. His advisor was wearing way too much clothing, but they could fix that in a bit.

"Your Highness?" Specs sounded adorably confused. He probably had no idea how spectacular he was. What had Prompto said? That there was probably a line of guys outside of Iggy's door? Well, sadly for those suckers, Noct had just cut all the way to the front and had sent the rest of them home.

"Do you love me, Specs?" Noct asked. 

Ignis frowned. "Of course I do, but - "

Whatever else Ignis had wanted to say was lost as the prince launched himself off the bed. It definitely was not a well-thought out move, but whatever - it got him where he wanted to be. Noct mashed his lips against Ignis' as he landed on his retainer. They were cool and soft and just a little chapped. Shocked and thrown off balance by Noct's unexpected weight, Ignis gracelessly toppled backwards. His head bounced hard off the wood floor, and when he gasped in pained surprise, Noct thrust his tongue into the open mouth. Iggy tasted bitter, like Ebony. 

Ignis turned his face away, breaking the connection. "Noctis, what are you doing?"

"Specs," Noctis moaned. The alcohol had washed away all his inhibitions, and Noct felt giddily, gloriously free. He rolled his hips, grinding his erection into his chamberlain's prone body, letting Ignis know how much he turned Noct on. "I want you."

"Your Highness, please don't - " 

Noct chased Ignis' mouth. There was too much talking, not enough kissing. It was fucking sloppy, partly because Noctis was drunk as hell and partly because Ignis kept moving his head. That was annoying, so the prince grabbed the sides of his chamberlain's face, holding him still so that Noct could get better access to those amazing lips. Ignis' spectacles were digging into his fingers, so he blindly yanked the eyewear off and tossed it aside.

"Specs," the prince breathed between each assault on Ignis' gorgeous mouth. "So good."

He wasn't sure what happened exactly, but one moment Noct was making out with Specs, and the next he was flat on his back, staring up at the weird shadows cast on his ceiling. Ignis had scrambled away from him and was crouched by the bed, watching him with wide, wary eyes. He looked almost naked - and totally hot - without his spectacles on. There was a small scratch on his cheekbone from Noct's fingernails, and his upper lip was red and swollen from where Noct's teeth had ground into them.

"The fuck, Specs?" Noct rolled himself onto his side and pushed himself to sitting with a groan. "Why'd you do that?"

"I...what?" It wasn't very often that Ignis was left speechless, but Noct was too pissed to feel smug about it. 

"I _said_ I want you," Noct slurred, pointing at his chamberlain so there would be absolutely no fucking mistake as to who it was he wanted. Just in case Specs was confused or something. "I want you _now_."

"Your Highness. Noctis. You're very intoxicated," Specs said, aiming for a reasonable tone and almost hitting it. "Let's not do anything you'll regret in the morning."

"Won't regret it," the prince growled. What the fuck was Specs on about? Regret? Noct had been thinking about this for days. Maybe even weeks and months. He'd never wanted anything more. "Now get over here and do what I say."

A pained look crossed Ignis' face. "I can't, Noct." He was gentle in his rejection, and for some reason, that stung the prince more than that actual words themselves. 

"Why the fuck not?" The high, loose feeling he'd had was rapidly losing its lift, and he began to freefall, spiraling down into a red haze of rage and hurt. All Noctis wanted, all he was asking for, was this one simple fucking thing. Why the hell was Specs being so damn difficult? 

"It's...there are many reasons. Please, Your Highness."

Noct opened his mouth and ugly poison spilled out, toxic and uncontrollable. It was almost exhilarating to let it out. He'd probably feel bad about it later. Or maybe not. "What, you'll spread your legs for your damn boyfriend but not for me? Is that it? You'll let some random loser fuck you but not your prince?" 

The color drained from Ignis' face as his mouth flattened into a thin line. He climbed to his feet, smoothed down the front of his coat and took several deep breaths. When he spoke again, his voice was calm and measured and very Ignis. "I don't know where this is all coming from, but I am going to pretend that I didn't hear that," the chamberlain said steadily. "I think it would be best if we both went to sleep and put this behind us. Let's get you to bed, shall we?"

Ignis reached down, offering his hand to help Noctis up, his expression bland and unreadable. Noct sneered at it, still stinging from his advisor's refusal to do as he wanted. He glared at the proffered aid and then slapped the hand away. "Fuck you," Noct muttered. "Don't need your help."

Noctis clumsily climbed back to his feet, swaying dramatically as the floor beneath him tilted and spun. The movement was absolutely nauseating, and Noct swallowed hard, trying to keep down the hot acid that was climbing up his throat as he staggered towards his bed. He had almost made it when he lost the battle against his rising gorge and doubled over, letting loose a torrent of of sweet, cheap cocktail-infused vomit. Ignis had predicted the inevitable and had placed a trash bin under Noct, but the prince's aim was off and most of it splattered onto the floor. When Noctis was certain the first round was over - and there would more, stupid stomach - he made the last few steps of his journey and belly flopped onto his mattress with groan. His bed was moving, whirling about like one of those teacup rides. Why was it moving? Six, he felt like shit.

"Noctis." Ignis carefully shook his shoulder. His touch felt tentative. "You need to hydrate."

"No," the prince moaned. His mouth tasted disgusting, but that was overridden by his need for sleep. Sleep was good. It would make the sick feeling go away.

"Yes," Ignis argued insistently, and seriously, why was Specs being such a disagreeable asshole right now? "Just one glass, and then you can sleep."

"I said _no_." Noct took a blind, awkward swipe, intending to make Ignis back the fuck off, and his flailing managed to catch the glass that his advisor was holding out for him. The cup went flying and landed with a ringing clatter somewhere in the room, accompanied by a large splash. _Try and make me drink now_.

There was a pause, a long silence in which Noct could practically hear the grating sound of Iggy's patience being rubbed thin. "Very well then," Ignis finally said. "Get some rest. I'll be outside if you need anything."

The chamberlain puttered around for a bit longer as Noct dozed, drifting in and out of an uneasy slumber. When Ignis finally clicked off the lamp and allowed total darkness to descend on the bedroom, Noct had given himself over to a shallow, troubled sleep.

\---

He felt bad. _So_ bad. Oh gods, he felt like he was going to die, and he'd probably do so lying in a puddle of his own puke. _Gross._ Noct threw his covers aside and staggered out of bed in the direction of what he hoped was his ensuite. The roiling queasiness in his stomach and the pounding in his head urged him on and he just about dropped to his knees in front of the toilet when the first wave of hot, chunky liquid rushed up his throat. Noct heaved loudly as he silently cursed the bartender that had kept giving him and Prompto drinks on the house.

Noctis had no concept of time as he huddled on the bathroom floor in the dark, hanging on to the sides of the toilet bowl for dear life. He groaned miserably as the nausea shook him violently, refusing to let him go no matter how many times he purged himself. At some point, Specs must have heard him because there was a warm, familiar touch on his back, soothingly rubbing up and down his spine as he hurled again and again. During a break in the action, Noct draped himself over the toilet as he trembled with exertion. Specs' hand moved to the back of his neck, gently kneading away his headache.

"Specs," Noct moaned. "Make it stop."

"I wish I could," Ignis murmured. "Do you need to go again?"

The prince shook his head. "Don't know," he panted. 

The wonderful little neck massage stopped and Noctis whimpered at its loss. A faucet was briefly turned on, and then Specs was back, pressing something hard and cool into his hand.

"Swish and spit," Ignis instructed. The prince obeyed, relishing the cleanliness of the cold water. Once he'd rinsed his mouth out, Ignis exchanged the cup for another. "Drink this one," he said. "All of it, if you can. Slowly now."

Noct leaned wearily against his bathtub as he sipped at the citrus-flavored sports drink. He stopped to throw up one more time, and then his stomach finally seemed to decide that it was done torturing him. Exhausted by his efforts, Noct began to nod off, sagging comfortably against his retainer as Iggy carefully combed his fingers through Noct's tangled hair.

"Off to bed, if you're finished." A cool, damp washcloth wiped at his face and neck, cleaning away the cold sweat and speckles of vomit. Ignis then lifted him to his feet and helped him stumble back to bed. Noctis was deposited on the mattress and tiredly slouched over as his chamberlain tugged on the hem of his shirt. "Let's get you out of these clothes," he said.

"Want you naked too," Noct mumbled, half-asleep. 

There was a pause and Noct became stuck with his shirt pulled halfway over his head. "I was going to suggest that we get you into your pajamas," Ignis said evenly. The shirt was briskly removed. Goose bumps prickled over Noct's skin. "A moment please, if you could manage your pants."

The prince decided that taking his jeans was way too much effort, and if Specs wanted them gone he could do it himself. He slumped over and was nearly asleep when Ignis returned. A small sigh suggested that the advisor wasn't pleased that Noct was still half-dressed, but he finished disrobing Noct anyway, quickly and efficiently. Ignis then coaxed Noct into his sleepwear and tucked him back under the bedding.

"Better?" Ignis asked.

"Mmm," Noct murmured. _Much better_. Ignis always made everything better. "Thanks. Love you, Specs."

A light touch brushed the hair off his forehead. "Likewise, Your Highness. Sleep well."

\---

A ray of bright sunshine snuck in through a gap between the blackout curtains and stabbed Noctis right in the eye. The prince surfaced from his slumber with a groan, throwing an arm over his eyes to block out the light. A sledgehammer was beating on the inside of his skull, and the inside of his mouth tasted like a malboro had crawled inside it and died. _Shit, what did I do last night? Must've been really bad. Or really fun._

Noct rolled over onto his side and found himself staring at a glass of water waiting for him on the nightstand. Pushing himself upright, the prince drained the glass and then set it back down, closing his eyes against the pulsing pain in his head. Judging by the headache and the burn at the back of his throat, he'd definitely had way too much to drink the night before. _Bet Specs'll have something to say about -_

Noct's train of thought froze as a series of impressions blurred through his brain, muddled and nonsensical and leaving behind a faint sense of dread. 

_Specs looking up at him, affectionate and warm._

_That long, lean body trapped under his own._

_So fucking hard with the need to claim Specs, to mark him inside and out._

_Specs pushing him away._

_Specs denying him what he wanted._

"Oh _fuck_ ," Noct groaned. He'd done it. He'd actually gone and tried to play out the fantasies that had kept him busy for the past couple weeks and...he'd been rejected. Ignis had refused him, had recoiled from his touch like he was some scourge-infested daemon.

Humiliation rolled through the prince, hot and stinking and inescapable. His whole body flushed with angry embarrassment, and Noct slid back under his covers, yanking the duvet over his head. Ignis was supposed to be there for him, always. He'd _promised_ , said an official oath and everything. He was supposed to support the prince in every way the prince wanted. Except that Ignis had drawn some sort of invisible line that he wouldn't cross, with the chamberlain on one side and Noctis on the other. The idea that Specs would cross that line for some random guy but not his prince was mortifying and almost unbearable.

A soft knock sounded at his door and the door creaked open, interrupting Noct's attempts to disappear into his mattress. Ignis seriously had the worst fucking timing sometimes. "Noct? Are you awake yet?"

_Go away_ , Noct silently ordered. He absolutely did not want to face Specs right now. He couldn't think of a single thing he wanted less. Maybe another marilith attack, but that was about it. The prince held his breath and forced himself still, hoping against hope that the chamberlain would receive his message telepathically and leave him in peace. And of course that didn't happen, because Specs no longer did anything the prince wanted. Quiet footsteps came closer and the edge of the bed dipped where the chamberlain sat down. 

"Noct? It's close to ten-thirty. Time to get up, don't you think?"

_I'll get up whenever the fuck I want._ Noct scowled petulantly into his pillow.

"You need to eat something, Your Highness. I've made a mother and child bowl and some pastries," Ignis cajoled. When Noctis remained unmoved, he sighed. "I know you're awake, Noct. You must be hungry after being so sick last night."

_Gee, thanks for reminding me_. Luckily, his stomach seemed to be completely settled, if very, very empty. _And goddamn it, now I'm starving._

"Noctis." Ignis gently shook the prince under the thick coverlet. "Come now, I have a meeting at eleven and - "

"Then just fucking _go_ and leave me alone!" Noct lashed out. He flung the covers down and knocked his retainer's arm away. "Seriously, what the fuck are you bothering me for?"

Prince and chamberlain stared at each other, one in resentment and the other in bewilderment. Specs was already showered and impeccably dressed but looked like crap - his eyes were bloodshot and dark bags had settled under them, stark against his washed out skin. His mouth hung open and he blinked confusedly at Noct for a few seconds before gathering his wits about him. "I wanted to know if you were feeling better," he said quietly.

"I'm fine. There, happy? You can go now." Noct threw himself onto his side so he wouldn't have to stare at Ignis' stupidly perfect face anymore. Gods, even when he looked half-dead he was still hot. Noct was pretty sure that his own face was all bloated and bright red, which was just insult to injury.

"Your Highness, please. What's wrong?" Ignis cautiously, comfortingly squeezed Noct's shoulder. The prince ruthlessly brushed him off. How could Specs ask that? As if he didn't know?

"Nothing's wrong. I just don't want to look at you right now, so go away."

"Oh." There was a lot to unpack just in that tiny word, but Noct focused on the undercurrent of hurt. _Good_ , he thought. _You did this to yourself. This is your fault._ The cold satisfaction was poor consolation. "Very well then. The food is ready for you when you want it; I'll leave instructions on how to warm it, if necessary. Please make sure you eat before taking painkillers for your headache."

"Whatever." 

"Noct..." Ignis trailed off as the rest of his sentence was crushed by the weight of Noct's sullen silence. "Take care," he finally finished. "I'll stop by later this afternoon."

"Or don't," the prince muttered into his pillow. 

The mattress shifted once more as Ignis stood and left. He quietly closed the door behind him, leaving Noct alone once more. As soon as he thought it was safe, Noctis sat up again. His room was pristine - there was no sign that it had been a vomit-spattered wreck just a few hours ago.

The promise of delicious food made him creep out of his bedroom. Ignis was gone, but his presence was all over the kitchen. A cooling rack held a collection of tiny little tarts, and two white pills sat next to them with a post-it that ordered the prince to wait until after eating. Noct took one of the pastries and shoved it into his mouth. 

"Hot, fucking hot," he mumbled as the berried filling burned his tongue. He'd almost been hoping that it would be disgusting, but nope. It was fantastic. Not quite right, but still fantastic. Because of course it was. 

A neatly written note with instructions was taped to the fridge as promised, and a wrapped rice bowl greeted him when he opened the door. Noct sat at his kitchen table as he waited for his food to heat up. Why? Why couldn't Specs just do as Noct wanted? Why did he have to go and make such a goddamn mess of things? Noct scraped at the surface of the table with his fingernail as his brain jumped to a conversation he'd had with Prompto a while ago. Was it because he was just like, a daily nine-to-five for Ignis? If it wasn't for his job, would his chamberlain even give two shits about him? Maybe Specs claimed to care for Noct because he didn't want to get fired - could Ignis even be fired? Noct had no idea - but wouldn't go the extra mile because it technically wasn't part of his job description. 

Noct leaned forward and settled his head on his hands. Gods, it was too fucking early and he was way too hungover to be thinking about this shit. And screw Ignis for even making him think about it in the first place. The chamberlain was supposed to make his life easier, not more confusing and... and whatever the hell this crap was.

_Well fine_ , then, he thought angrily. The pounding in his head refused to abate and it was making him really damn cranky. If the advisor didn't do what Noct wanted, then Noct didn't see why he should do what Ignis wanted. _Two can play that game._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I had flip-flopped between making Noct seventeen or eighteen in this story, which is why the drinking age thing is kinda weird. We'll just pretend that it's nineteen in Lucis. Cool? 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

"Your Highness? Prompto? Food is ready."

"Awesome! I'm starving." Prompto leapt up from his seat on the floor next to Noct, stretching his arms up over his head and cracking his spine. Noctis stayed hunched over his textbook, concentrating as furiously as he could. "What's for dinner, Igster? Smells good."

"Vegetable and bulette curry," Ignis replied.

"Niiiiice. Is it spicy?"

"Perhaps a touch. There is some pepper in it. Noct? Come and eat."

"Later," the prince said tersely. Curry? So that's what that smell was. He fucking hated curry. Specs _knew_ he hated curry. Especially curry with vegetables floating in it. He'd barely seen Specs after _that night_ , and now he was cooking Noct's least favorite food. Seriously, was the chamberlain _trying_ to piss him off?

"Aren't you hungry?" Ignis asked. 

"No." _Yes_. "Not for that. You go ahead and eat if you want, Prompto."

There was a clatter of utensils against earthenware as the blonde dug into his food, humming appreciatively. Noct scowled at his homework. Fucking math. He hated math. Not only was he stuck staring at a bunch of letters and numbers and symbols that made no sense, he didn't even have anything decent to eat to see him through his torturous assignment.

"Your Highness?" A shadow blocked his light and Noct looked up to find Ignis standing over him, holding a bowl and a spoon. "You should eat."

"I'm not gonna eat that."

Ignis sat down next to him, his long legs neatly crossed in front of him. He set the bowl down by Noctis' elbow. "I know it's not your favorite, but I unfortunately didn't have time to stop at the market this afternoon. I did change some of the ingredients though, so the flavor shouldn't be quite so potent. Won't you give it a try?"

Noct rolled his eyes and didn't bother responding, although he privately had to admit that the smell emanating from the bowl was pretty damn great. _Don't do it_ , Noct forbade himself. _Don't give him the satisfaction._ His stomach growled in outraged protest.

When it became clear that Noct wasn't going to answer, Ignis sighed. "I'm sorry, Noct. Do you want me to make something else? I can go to the grocery store right now."

"Forget it," Noctis muttered. "I'll just grab something later."

"You're gonna regret not trying it, Noct," Prompto sang from the dining table. "It's really good."

_Thanks a lot, Prompto, you traitor._ The prince hunched over further, ignoring the twinge in his lower back. Specs was sitting way too close to him and his proximity was absolutely stifling. _Don't look at him. Don't. Look._ It was made worse when the chamberlain leaned forward, his shoulder brushing against Noct's arm as he reached for the prince's notebook. Noct stiffened at the casual contact and shrank away from the touch. The sudden need to be alone was overwhelming.

"What are you working on?" Ignis asked curiously. If he noticed Noct's withdrawal, he didn't say anything. "Can I be of assistance?" 

"Fuck no." Noct yanked the notebook out of Ignis' hands, despite the fact that yeah, he kind of did want help. Too late now. "I got it."

"Are you certain? Because I'd be happy to - "

"I _said_ , I got it." Noct glared at his retainer. "Go bug Prompto if you're so desperate to do something useful."

A flare of distress, so brief that Noct wondered whether he'd imagined it, flickered in Iggy's very, very green eyes. "Noctis," he said softly. "Is this about what happened the other night? Perhaps we could - "

"I don't want to talk about it," the prince interrupted loudly. Especially not when Prompto was sitting _right there_. What the hell was Ignis thinking? The fewer people that knew about Noct's secret shame, the better. "Actually, you know what? I do want you to make me something. I want dumplings. Those pan fried ones with the roast duck inside."

Ignis had made those dumplings as part of his birthday meal earlier in the year, and they had been insanely delicious. If Noct remembered correctly, they'd also taken hours to make, between the roasting of the meat, preparation of the filling and the actual folding and frying of the little packets. The prince stared at his chamberlain, chin up and mouth set in a stubborn line as he dared Specs to refuse him. The contest was over before it really began - Ignis gave in almost immediately. "I'd be happy to," he said. "If that's what you'd like."

"Is Iggy leaving already?" Prompto asked after Ignis threw on his coat and left the flat. "He have a hot date tonight?" 

"Not unless he's seeing the guy at the meat counter," Noct muttered. "He left to grab some food."

Prompto looked down at his nearly empty bowl. "But he just made food."

"Yeah, but I didn't want that food."

"Seriously, dude? Bet you didn't even try it."

"I didn't need to," Noct said confidently. "I wanted something else, so Specs is gonna make something else." Why was Prompto making such a big deal about this? It wasn't like Noct was trying to be a dick or anything. He just had a sudden craving for duck dumplings.

Prompto whistled. "Man, must be nice, having someone that's willing to cook anything for you," he said wistfully.

Noctis shrugged. "There's gotta be some perks to being royalty, right?"

The blonde laughed half-heartedly. "Yeah, I guess so. You know you're like, super lucky, right? To have someone like Iggy?"

A snide comment was halfway out of Noct's mouth when he remembered that Prompto's parents were out of town. Again. For like the third time this month. He threw an arm around his friend's shoulders in a fit of sympathy and pulled him in close. "You wouldn't think so if he was always breathing down your neck," Noct said lightly. "Next time, we'll get him to make something you want, okay?"

"Nah, it's fine. I'll pretty much eat anything Iggy makes. Besides, I don't need special treatment 'cause I'm not a whiny prince."

" _Whiny_?" Noct's playfully shoved the blonde away. "Did you just call me whiny?"

"Do you see any other princes here?" Prompto shot back, grinning.

Ignis returned nearly an hour later, his arms laden with grocery bags, and headed straight for the kitchen. Prompto left shortly after, having finally wrangled their homework into submission, leaving Noctis alone with his busy chamberlain. His curry meal was still untouched, and the prince's stomach was beginning to stick to his spine with hunger. Admitting defeat, Noctis slunk towards the kitchen to grab a snack. His flat was starting to smell fantastically of roast fowl which definitely didn't help matters at all.

"Your Highness," Ignis said when he noticed Noctis' presence lurking in the kitchen. "Do you need something?"

"No," Noct muttered. Ignis was wearing an apron that said 'Every butt deserves a good rub'. Noct had gotten it for Specs as a joke and it had been hysterical at the time; it didn't seem so funny now. The apron was a bit too small for the advisor, and it only served to emphasize the lean lines of his body. Noctis averted his eyes. He really did not want to be thinking about Specs' body right now. Didn't want to think about how it had felt underneath him, how much he still wanted to feel Ignis' bare skin against his own. _Fuck, give it a rest_ , Noctis thought crossly.

"You must be quite hungry," Ignis guessed. "I'm afraid it'll be a while before these are done. I could prepare something else in the meantime?"

"I got it." The prince waved Ignis off, opened the fridge and contemplated its contents. The bare shelves had been restocked mostly with fruits, vegetables, eggs, some yogurt containers, and a twelve-pack of Ebony - so basically, nothing edible. He shuffled some things and unearthed a couple old pudding cups hidden in the back. Noct retrieved them with glee.

"Of course that's what you come out with," the advisor said resignedly as the prince peeled back the lid. "I knew I should have thrown those away."

Shrugging, Noctis shoveled a spoonful of gelatinous, chocolate-flavored goo into his mouth as he walked back to the sofa. It was actually kinda nasty, but it was food and it annoyed Specs to see him eat it, so it was win-win as far as Noct was concerned. He plopped back down onto the couch and flipped on the TV, and it wasn't long before Ignis exited the kitchen as well, unwrapped from his apron.

"The duck breast needs to a cool a bit," Ignis offered by way of explanation. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"Whatever," Noctis shrugged. 

Ignis settled himself next to the prince, legs crossed and hands loosely folded on his lap. "Your Highness. I realize that you're upset with me," he said seriously. _Oh no_ , Noct thought. He pulled up his legs and curled in on himself. He did not want to have this conversation. Not now, not ever. Ignis obviously hadn't received the memo, however, since he kept right on. "Rightfully so. I should have done better. I can only ask that you allow me the chance to atone for my mistakes."

_'Should have done better?' No shit._ Noct scowled into his knees. If Specs thought he could make Noct feel like a total goddamn loser and then just skip away being all, 'sorry, better luck next time', he was really fucking mistaken.

"Noctis?"

The hope in Ignis' voice grated on Noct's nerves. "And how are you gonna make it up to me?" he finally asked.

"However you want me to," Ignis answered immediately. Astrals, he was eager. So eager to please. That willingness made Noct flush warm and he stood up abruptly.

If only it hadn't been for that one damn glitch that had thrown Noct's world off axis. Silence stretched between them as Noct considered Ignis' offer. It was tempting. 

"Do you think you deserve it?" he asked eventually. 

"I...will strive to be deserving of it," Ignis said hesitantly.

Noct narrowed his eyes. "Do you even know what you're apologizing for?"

A small twitch at the corner of Specs' eye - hard to catch, but Noctis knew exactly what to look for - told the prince all he needed to know and Noct sneered. Before he could tell Specs off for wasting his time, he was distracted by a thin line of red that trickled from Ignis' nose.

"Oh," the advisor said, looking startled as he wiped at it and found blood staining his fingers. He left a messy crimson smear above his mouth, and Noct stared it. 

"You alright?" Noct heard himself ask automatically, eyes still glued to the stark contrast of bright scarlet on pale skin. He wanted to lick it clean, to bite down on those full lips again and Ifrit's flaming balls he really needed to get his head checked if he was getting turned on by a fucking _nosebleed_. Deciding not to examine that too closely, Noct casually tugged down on the hem of his oversized hoodie. It seemed pretty fucking unfair that he should still be so turned on by his retainer, even after what Specs had done to him.

Ignis stood next to him, swaying a bit alarmingly as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He fished a clean handkerchief out of his pocket and pressed it under his leaking nostrils. The white cloth bloomed red. "Yes, my apologies. I seem to have... Please excuse me."

Noct watched as his chamberlain carefully retreated to the bathroom and then flung himself down onto the couch again with a disdainful grunt. And here he thought his advisor was supposed to be the smart one. What was the point in making Specs grovel if he didn't even know what the fuck he was doing it for? Gods, was he really so damn clueless? Or maybe Specs just didn't see it as a big deal. The humiliation of that night consumed Noct - no matter how hard he tried to forget his stupid mind just kept reeling it back in - but it was getting pretty obvious that Iggy was totally unaffected, whatever, nothing to see here.

When Ignis emerged from the bathroom, he had two little pieces of tissue stuffed up both nostrils. Noct surreptitiously snapped a picture and sent it to Prompto and Gladio with a small smirk. It wasn't everyday his spit-polished chamberlain looked like a total pleb.

Ignis walked straight back into the kitchen, presumably to finish the dumplings. Noct had pretty much lost his appetite at this point - the pudding was sitting in his stomach like a rock - but he figured there was no point in telling Ignis to stop now. Noct curled up on the sofa and flipped through the channels when his phone buzzed.

**Today** 9:47 PM  
**Prom Prom**  
Lol omg who is that?? Not igss!! 

**LC Noctis**  
Lol right?  
(9:47 PM)

**A Meatball**  
Wtf? The hell u do to iggy  
(9:48 PM)

**LC Noctis**  
Nothing he did it to himself  
(9:48 PM)

**A Meatball**  
He finally headbutt u for being a brat  
(9:49 PM)

**LC Noctis**  
Haha no fuck u  
(9:49 PM)

**Prom Prom**  
Iggy wouldn't do that it would ruin his awesome face :c  
(9:49 PM)

**A Meatball**  
Astrals you two horndogs, stop lusting after iggy  
Srsly he ok?  
(9:50 PM)

Noct shrugged. He was his usual untouchably perfect self... maybe he was tired? He looked like he hadn't slept for days, but he always looked that way. It was Specs' natural state of being, as far as the prince could tell, and he was functioning just fine.

**LC Noctis**  
He's fine  
(9:50 PM)

**A Meatball**  
What's he still doing at ur place anyway?  
(9:50 PM)

**Prom Prom**  
Noct wanted ducky dumplins :D  
(9:51 PM)

**A Meatball**  
R u fuckin kidding me  
NOCT  
Do u not know how busy he is rn  
Gods ur so fucking spoiled  
(9:51 PM)

Noct rolled his eyes. _Predictable._

**Prom Prom**  
Duh he's royalty  
(9:51 PM)

**LC Noctis**  
What? He said he waned to  
Wanted  
Fuck u too, p  
(9:52 PM)

**Prom Prom**  
Love ya babe :D  
(9:52 PM)

**A Meatball**  
Of course he did u idiot  
Go easy on him ok? He's been super stressed  
(9:52 PM)

**LC Noctis**  
When is he not  
Ur just jealous  
(9:53 PM)

**A Meatball**  
You wish princess  
(9:53 PM)

Noct snorted as he tossed his phone on the coffee table. It was still a bit early, but he was starting to feel a bit drowsy. His eyes were just about to slip closed when a loud, metallic clatter and a strangled shout rang though his quiet flat.

"Wha?" Noct lurched upright, his gaze jerking around confusedly. _Is someone breaking in? Is there someone here?_

_Oh. Right._

"Specs?" No answer, but it sounded like a faucet had been turned on. "Hey Specs? What's going on?"

"It's nothing," Ignis replied. He sounded fine. Controlled, obviously. Maybe a little too controlled. "I'm sorry about the noise."

Suspicious now, Noct headed for the kitchen and stopped dead at the entryway. A wide pan was lying face down by the stove, surrounded by the scattered carcasses of little half-cooked dumplings, some of which had burst and spilled their tasty guts everywhere. The sight of them brought the prince's forgotten hunger roaring back and for a moment, he seriously considered eating them off the floor.

Ignis glanced up from where he was hunched over the kitchen sink, running water over his right forearm. His expression was tight with pain. "Stay where you are, Noct. Don't come in, there's hot oil everywhere."

"What happened?"

"I knocked the pan off the stove. My attention wandered for a moment."

_Ooookay._ Specs didn't do things like let his attention wander, especially when he was cooking. A kitchen accident was the kind of shit that happened to mere mortals, not to Noct's chamberlain.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine."

Except that Specs didn't look fine, he looked like he was maybe thinking about passing out. Noctis stepped over the threshold. "You sure?"

"Yes quite - Noct, please stop, you might burn your feet."

The prince rolled his eyes. "I'm sure I'll survive," he said, ignoring his advisor's instructions and okay yes, some of the oil was still fucking hot. "Let me see."

Large patches of skin on Ignis' forearm were flushed a deep red. Noct gently grasped Specs' wrist and turned it in his grip. Droplets of water glistened on skin that was pale and thin over the tendons and delicate bones in the joint. Prominent blue veins ran just beneath the surface and extended up into the back of Ignis' strong, elegant hand. Noctis rubbed his thumb lightly on the skin under the wrist, marveling at how soft it was. He wanted to kiss it, wanted to trace the veins with his tongue and suck on those long fingers. Gods, he wanted so fucking _badly_.

"Noct..."

"Looks painful," the prince murmured. All he had to do was just raise Ignis' arm a few inches to his mouth and he'd be able to taste it. That was all it would take. It would be so easy.

"It's superficial," Ignis said quietly. "Nothing to worry about. I've had far worse."

"Do you want a potion? I have some in the bathroom," Noct offered. He absently stroked Ignis' palm with his other hand.

"Thank you, but it's unnecessary. Your potions shouldn't be wasted on something so trivial." 

Ignis didn't do anything so gauche and obvious as yank his arm away, but the limb went just a tiny bit tense in Noct's grip. It was enough shake him out of his mood. Noctis abruptly let go, practically throwing Ignis' arm away like he was afraid that the burns might be contagious.

_Right. How could I fucking forget._

"Well, if you want one, you know where they are," Noct said dismissively. He stood, surveying the kitchen with a frown like he actually cared about the state it was in, instead of trying to save face and doing his damndest to avoid Ignis' gaze.

"I'll clean up and finish the dumplings," Ignis assured him. "It will take me a bit longer than expected. I apologize for the wait."

"Do you what you want," Noct drawled. "I'm going to bed."

\---

_"Oh gods, Specs. That's good, so fucking good. You're good at everything, aren't you?"_

_Noct looked down and the picture that greeted him was so damn hot that he nearly blew his load right there. He watched in fascination as his dick disappeared between Ignis' full lips, swallowed like a lollipop as his advisor's head bobbed rhythmically. Ignis' cheeks hollowed as he sucked hard, the suction strong enough to make Noct's eyes roll back into his head. The slick heat of Ignis' mouth felt amazing, just as he knew it would. Specs' hair was mussed and just begging to be pulled, so Noct obliged. He grabbed two fistfuls and pulled Ignis' face towards his groin, forcing his cock deep down Specs' open throat._

_"Yes. Take it, Specs, I know you can. I know you want to."_

_He started to thrust his hips and Ignis moaned, his eyes fluttering shut as the thick shaft stretching his lips rocked in and out. The vibrations from his throat worked their way straight into Noctis' cock and the prince threw his head back from the absolute glory of it all. There was no resistance from Specs, no denials - just sweet submission as Noctis fucked his mouth._

_"Open your eyes for me. I want you to look at me."_

_Ignis obediently opened his wide, beautiful eyes, staring up at the prince through a fringe of ungodly thick eyelashes and a curtain of silky hair, because of course Specs would have amazingly soft hair. His gaze was intensely verdant from behind the glass lenses, but no, Noct didn't want Ignis to be wearing his spectacles right now and so they disappeared. He wanted Ignis to be laid completely bare before him - there would no secrets between them as his advisor knelt at his feet and sucked his royal dick._

_"Touch yourself, Specs."_

_Noct couldn't see Ignis' cock, couldn't see what it looked like when Specs grabbed a hold of himself, but he could hear it. The whisper slide of Ignis' hand jerking up and down matched obscene slurping sound of his mouth as Noct slid in and out, the beat perfectly aligned. This was exactly what he wanted. It was what Specs wanted. Noct wanted to be here forever._

_"Oh gods, I'm gonna come. You're gonna make me come."_

_Heat pooled in his belly and Noct sped up his thrusting. The movement of his hips became frantic, desperate, and Ignis took it all. Noct wanted to pour his release down Ignis' throat, wanted to spray it all over that exquisite face. He wanted to see Ignis lick it off his lips, wanted to see him enjoy the taste. He wanted to know that Specs was his. Gods, he wanted...he wanted..._

Noct woke with a gasp, his sheets tented over his crotch. He was so hard it almost hurt.

_A dream. It's not real._

With a dark scowl, Noct fisted his cock and began to pull at it almost viciously. He clutched at the last vestiges of his rapidly disappearing dream, trying to remember exactly what Ignis' lips had looked like wrapped around his dick, what Ignis' hair had felt like sliding through his fingers. He desperately tried to recall the heated look in Specs' eyes as he gazed up at the prince, but it was no use. The memory of it disappeared from his brain like water evaporating on hot pavement

"Damn it, goddamn it," Noct muttered, working his cock furiously. "Specs, _why_ \- "

He didn't want to shout Ignis' name when he came, but he did anyway.


	6. Chapter 6

"Your Highness!" Ignis' deep voice cut through the loud electronic noise of the arcade. Noct kept his eyes glued on the game in front of him. _Damn it._ He was like _so close_ to beating the high score - 

"Noctis. Noctis! Thank the _fucking_ gods. What on Eos are you doing in this place?"

The prince growled as he died, momentarily distracted by Ignis' swearing. Of course Specs would throw that out there now, since he seemed hellbent on sucking all the joy out of Noct's life. He slammed his hands against button panel in frustration and glared at his chamberlain, who who kinda looked like he was two seconds from blowing out an aneurysm. "Fuck! You have the worst timing, you know that?"

To anyone else, Specs probably seemed totally calm and in control, but his fists were clenched where they hung at his sides and his spine was ramrod straight in that super stiff way he had when he was upset. His face was also doing that weird thing where it looked like he couldn't decide whether to cry or get really fucking angry, so it settled somewhere in between. It was an expression that Noct like, almost _never_ saw, but when he did, it usually meant that he was in real deep shit. _Just fucking great_. "Noctis," Ignis said tightly. "We have spent the last three hours searching for you. I thought - " 

"You were late," Noct interrupted. "What the fuck was I supposed to do? Stand on the sidewalk and scratch my balls?" He pulled out a another coin and inserted it into the slot. Ugh, and now he had to start over. Getting back to where he'd been in the game was gonna take forever.

Ignis' mouth opened and then closed silently, gaping like a beached fish. "I'm very sorry I was late," the advisor finally said. "Didn't you see my texts? I let you know that I would be running behind ten minutes. There was a collision that rerouted traffic from the Citadel to your school."

"Nope and not my problem." Kinda hard to see someone's texts when his phone was off. No need for Specs to know that, though.

The chamberlain inhaled sharply. "And you didn't think to call me and inform me of where you were going?"

"Why? You found me anyway," Noct said, patience wearing thin. The dumb game was trying to screw him over on this level, and listening to Specs get his panties in a twist really wasn't helping. It was too bad Prompto wasn't here; he could have used a cheerleader. "If you're just gonna yell at me, can you do it later?" _Or like, never?_ "'Cause I'm kinda busy here."

"Noctis, we are leaving. Now."

"Yeah, no. I'm not done yet."

A long finger appeared between his own and smashed down on the big red 'exit game' button with prejudice. " _Now._ "

"What the fuck! I told you I wasn't done!" Noct glared at Ignis, who had the gall to glare right back. Seriously, what the hell had crawled up Specs' butt and died? _He_ was the one that had been late and started all this shit.

"And I am telling you that you are. Let's go, Your Highness."

Noct scowled but reluctantly obeyed. Ignoring Ignis when he used _that_ tone of voice was basically like bending over, spreading your ass cheeks and and just asking to be reamed, and gods his brain _really_ needed to stop thinking about Specs in sexual situations. 

The prince trailed after his chamberlain as they exited the arcade. _Whatever. The games in this place suck anyway._ It wasn't as though he'd been planning on staying all night or anything. As they left, Ignis made a phone call. 

"Marshal? Yes, I've found him. He's unharmed. Please call off the search."

_The search? Oh. Well...shit._ A tiny sliver of guilt stabbed into Noctis as be eavesdropped, but he yanked it back out and tossed it away. This wasn't his fault. If Specs was like, only interested in doing his job, then the least he could do was fucking get it right. Noct was the _prince_. Princes weren't meant to be kept waiting for their retainers, last he checked. Specs should have been on time, if he wanted to avoid this mess.

"Yes, of course," Ignis murmured. His spine got even stiffer, which Noct hadn't thought possible. His back looked ready to snap. "I just need to drop His Highness off at home first. I'll head to the Citadel immediately after. Thank you, Marshal."

Noct climbed into the backseat when they reached the chamberlain's car, and Six, did Specs really have to slam the door shut so fucking hard? Whatever. If he wanted to be all bitchy about this, then that wasn't Noct's problem. Ignis eased himself into the driver's seat, but rather than turning the engine on, he clutched the steering wheel with a white knuckled grip and leaned forward to rest his forehead against it. He stayed like that, silent and still, for a minute, then two, then three before Noct started to get antsy. Specs wasn't gonna like, have some sort of mental breakdown and try to kill him, right? Gladio did keep warning him about it...

"We going or what?" Noct asked warily.

Ignis didn't answer him right away. "Noctis," he finally said, his normally velvet voice oddly breathy and strangled. "Do you have _any_ idea how worried I've been? How worried we've all been?"

And the guilt was back. More of a giant wooden stake now, instead of a sliver. The prince stubbornly tossed it away again. He was not going to feel bad about this. So he went to an arcade. That he'd never been to before. In a not-so-great part of Insomnia. Without telling anyone where he was going. So what? People did that kind of shit all the time. Specs should honestly consider himself lucky that Noct didn't do it more often.

"I thought - I thought you'd been kidnapped. Or worse." Each word sounded like it was being ripped from Ignis' throat. "You can't _do_ that, Noct. You simply cannot disappear like that, without telling me or anyone where you are going!" 

Oh gods, was Specs _crying_? Not that Noct had really ever seen Ignis spill actual tears, but he'd squeeze his eyes shut like he was trying keep them from escaping and his voice would go all thick and shaky. As far as Noctis could tell, it was essentially the Specs equivalent of bawling like a baby. From what Noct remembered, he'd heard that voice twice before: once when Ignis had come to visit immediately after the marilith attack, and once when he'd gotten word that his mother had passed a couple of years ago. His voice was trembling just like that now, and Noctis slouched down in his seat, wondering how much more trouble he'd get into if he just warped out of the car. 

"You were late," the prince mumbled defensively. "I didn't know when you were coming."

"I texted you, Noctis. I will always let you know when to expect me. You are constantly on your phone doing gods know what - _why_ didn't you check your messages?"

Ignis twisted in his seat to face the prince. His face was so stark white that it practically glowed in the light of the setting sun that filtered in through the tinted windows. He looked like he was made of cut glass, all hollow cheeks and sharp jawline. Noct couldn't help but stare, fascinated by the lovely, fragile picture his chamberlain made. He idly wondered if he could break Specs, shatter him like crystal goblet, and remold him into exactly what Noct wanted.

"You've always waited for me before," Ignis said softly. He looked like a man that wasn't sure why the ground beneath was unstable, only that it was and likely to crumble away without a moment's notice. The prince tore his eyes away from Ignis and stared out the window. He was gonna say something he'd regret if he kept looking at the misery and confusion and anger swimming in Iggy's eyes.

"I'm sorry I let you down, Noctis, but please, _please_ , don't ever do this again. If you don't want to contact me that's fine, but you must let someone know where you're going. Gladio, Prompto, Nyx, Iris, it doesn't matter. We just need to know you're safe. _I_ need to know you're safe. I..." Ignis swallowed loudly. "I couldn't bear it if something happened to you."

_You couldn't bear it because then you'd be out of a fancy job?_ The question was on the tip of his tongue but Noct bit it back. He really didn't want to know Ignis' answer. 

The rumble of the engine vibrated through the car as Ignis finally turned the ignition. As they pulled away from the curb, Noct snuck his phone out of his pocket and switched it back on. Notifications for sixty-seven texts, thirty-eight missed phone calls and twenty-five voice messages popped up on the screen. Noct flipped through them and found that most of them were from Specs, Gladio and Prompto, and _oh fuck_...there were some from Clarus, Cor and worst of all, his father, sprinkled in. He typed out two quick texts to Gladio and Prompto to let them know he was okay and then clicked the screen dark, putting it on silent with the buzzer off so that he wouldn't have to deal with the inevitable shitstorm that was probably heading his way. He tossed the phone onto the seat next to him and leaned back against the headrest with his eyes closed. Whatever. He'd make Specs deal with the fallout. After all, it was a chamberlain's job to make life easier for his prince, right?

\---

"Hey Charmless, got a minute? Good."

Gladio literally came out of nowhere and grabbed Noct's upper arm in a grip that was more iron vice than human hand. Noctis still didn't quite get how such a giant person could move so damn quietly, but it wasn't the first time the prince had been ambushed by his Shield in the halls of the Citadel, and he was sure it wouldn't be the last. Rolling his eyes, Noct allowed himself to be dragged along, mainly because he really no choice. It was either that or say goodbye to his right arm.

An unused conference room was apparently their destination. Gladio shoved Noct inside and then slammed the door shut behind them. The prince had already spent the afternoon being lectured by just about everyone in the goddamn Citadel and so he had a pretty good idea of what was coming. He crossed his arms and glared at the Shield. If he had to hear the phrase 'personal responsibility' one more time, he was gonna jump out a fucking window.

"You and me need to have a little chat," Gladio said, glaring right back. 

Noct rolled his eyes. "Whatever you have to say, I already heard it from my dad. And your dad. And Cor. And, like, the woman that cleans the toilets. I get it - I was stupid and reckless, and I won't do it again. There, are we done?"

Gladio narrowed his eyes as he stared Noct down. "First of all, there's probably an army of people that clean the toilets, not just one person. Do you even know how many bathrooms are in this place? Second, even if every single one of those cleaning people told you off for being a fucking moron, it still wouldn't be enough because what you did was monumentally stupid."

"'Monumentally'? You been taking vocab lessons from Specs?" Noct scoffed.

"Shut up," Gladio growled. "I'm not gonna tell you how dumb you are because you obviously already know."

"Oh good. Can I go now?"

The Shield rubbed at his forehead, suddenly looking very tired. "Fucking Six, Noct. Do you have any idea what the shit you pulled did to Iggy? How much that little stunt of yours cost him?"

"I - what?" Noct's head spun from the sudden one-eighty. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't. Seriously, how do you breathe with your head stuffed so far up your ass?"

Noct scowled. "You only know half the stuff you do because Specs tells you."

"Yeah, and I actually _listen_. You know, that's the entire point of having an _advisor_."

"Whatever. I listen."

"It doesn't count if it goes in one ear and falls out the other, so you make sure that this sticks in that tiny royal brain of yours real good. I'm telling you this because Iggy never will and you need to know that your actions have consequences. Not just for you, but for other people."

A sinkhole opened up in Noct's stomach. He pretended it wasn't there. "Are you gonna get to the point anytime soon?"

The Shield exhaled loudly and yeah, it was a good thing the Gladio wasn't so great with magic because if he had been, Noct was pretty sure he'd be on fire right now. "Ignis was pulled into Regis' office and got ripped a new one because you decided to go on your little freedom parade. You know what that was like for him?" 

Noct had a pretty good idea since he'd just been chewed out by his dad as well, but wisely kept his mouth shut. 

"How often do you think Iggy's gotten into trouble since he started looking after you, huh? And I mean real trouble, not the cutesy shit you two used to pull when you were like eight."

"Umm... I don't know?" Astrals, why the hell was Gladio getting so pissy about this? So Specs got yelled at - it wasn't like the end of the fucking world. Maybe it would be good for him, take him down a peg or two and remind him of who was actually in charge.

"You don't know because he never _has_ , you dumbass. But now, the king thinks that Iggy's 'failed his duty and compromised the safety of the prince'." Gladio pulled air quotes with an enraged face. "Do you know how much it fucking hurt him to hear that? And if that wasn't enough, Regis took away his place at the high table for the Winter Solstice gala. Guess it doesn't matter that Iggy's been running himself to the fucking ground organizing the damn thing," the Shield grumbled bitterly.

_Oh._ The high table was very exclusive, reserved for the very upper echelons of society - royalty, their closest retainers, the head of Council and the foreign delegates as VIP guests. As an adult, this was the first year that Noct was to have a seat there, with Gladio on his left and Ignis on his right. It was an honor that even the prince didn't take lightly. To deny Ignis his place at the high table was a very public reprimand, a very loud announcement that the king was seriously displeased with the prince's future Hand. Guilt stabbed into Noct, sharper and pointier and much harder to wave away than it was yesterday. _Wait a minute...oh shit. That's bad. Very bad._ Noct groaned when a realization struck him.

"That's right, princess." Gladio crossed his arms, looking totally unsympathetic. "That means you get to go though an entire two-hour long dinner with a bunch of politicians without Iggy whispering answers in your ear."

Panic at the idea of muddling through his first official state dinner without Specs filling the gaps in Noct's knowledge - and okay, he could admit there were like, _a lot_ \- warred with the lingering, spiteful desire to see Specs hurt the way he'd hurt Noct. The prince froze with indecision, but eventually the need to _not_ make a giant fool of himself in front of all of Eos - and his old man - won out.

"Maybe I could talk to my dad?" he proposed tentatively. "Tell him it was just a misunderstanding...?"

Gladio was unmoved by his generosity. "A 'misunderstanding'? You had the entire Crownsguard combing Insomnia, looking for your sorry ass. That ain't gonna cut it."

Noctis groaned again and whirled around. He walked over towards the towering windows that dominated the east wall of the conference room and pressed his forehead against the cold glass. Winter had definitely arrived and held the city hostage in its icy grip. Although there wasn't any snow on the ground yet, the grey, overcast skies promised that there might be some soon. The gala was only a short week away, and there was no way that he was going to be able to cram everything he needed to know by then. 

"So what do I do?" Noct asked softly.

"I doubt you're gonna change the king's mind. But the least you could do is get on your knees and tell Iggy how very fucking sorry you are that you got him into this mess. You're on your own with the rest, 'cause I sure as shit ain't gonna put in extra study hours for you. Consider it your own punishment."

The prince frowned and closed his eyes with a sigh. If only. If only Specs had given Noct what he asked for. If only Specs wanted Noct back. If only Specs wasn't so fucking gorgeous and smart and dedicated. If only if only if only. His life would have been so much easier if he'd had an ugly, incompetent chamberlain who wasn't interested in entertaining Noct's every whim. Every whim except for _that one_. 

A heavy hand landed on the back of Noct's neck, and the prince jumped. Goddamn it, Gladio snuck up on him again.

"Look, Noct. I know something's going on with you. Don't argue," Gladio warned, forestalling the protest on the prince's tongue, "I know there is, you've been cranky as shit the past couple weeks. Like, even more than usual."

"No I haven't," Noct muttered sourly. 

"Don't even fucking try, Noct. Everyone can tell - your bad moods are like malboro stink. I don't know if that's the reason you decided to give everyone a heart attack yesterday, but if there's something you need to get off your chest, you know you can talk to me, right?"

The offer startled him a bit - his relationship with Gladio was more of the 'do what I say or I'll beat your ass' variety than the 'let's talk about feelings' type. The prince opened his mouth, ready to brush away the suggestion without second thought, when he paused. Could he actually talk to Gladio about this? He sure as shit wasn't gonna be talking about it with Specs, and Prompto... Prompto was great, he was the very fucking best, but this wasn't exactly his area of expertise. Gladio, on the other had, had a reputation for chasing after pretty things, and more importantly, landing them in his bed. Obviously he wasn't going to tell his Shield that this was about Ignis, or that his chamberlain had flat-out refused him - he'd be taking that secret to his grave, thanks - but, maybe...? Maybe he'd have some useful advice. 

"Thanks. I'll think about it," Noct said after a quiet moment. It wasn't as if he wanted to be mad at Specs forever. No, the prince thought that he'd much rather convince Specs to get over whatever weird hangups he had, because even though his advisor was being a stubborn, contrary little shit, Noct still loved him. Of course he loved Specs. With the punishment that the king had doled out, maybe Ignis would finally realize that resisting his prince was stupid and pointless and would only lead to problems for them both. He was a smart guy, after all. 

_Yeah_ , Noct thought. _Maybe we can work this out._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not super pleased with this but hopefully it gets the point across. Thanks for reading! And thanks to those that have left comments and kudos thus far - they're very much appreciated!


	7. Chapter 7

"Dude! This place is _amazing!_ " Prompto stared openmouthed at the lavishly decorated ballroom-cum-banquet hall of the Caelum Via hotel. The invitees for the Winter Solstice gala were beginning to pour into the large, open space. Women were dressed in fine silks and delicate lace, while the men looked sharp in tuxedos. It was the first year that Noct had been allowed a plus one, and bringing Prompto had been a no-brainer. 

"Yeah, I guess it's alright," Noct said. He'd seen it a million times before, and would probably see it a million times again.

The blonde watched in awe as nobles and dignitaries paraded in, and Noct rolled his eyes fondly. "Close your mouth, Prompto. You're drooling," he said, elbowing Prompto in the side.

"What? No I'm not!" The prince smirked as his friend wiped his hand across his chin, just in case. He fiddled with his bowtie nervously. "Do I look okay?"

Noct linked his arm through the blonde's as they made their way through the growing crowd towards the table of canapés. "You look like trash."

Prompto glanced down at himself. "This is _your_ tuxedo, dude."

Noct grinned. Prompto hadn't realized until a few days ago that 'black tie' had meant formalwear - he'd gone out and gotten himself a literal black tie, which was so fucking adorable that Noct had almost died. Prompto had disagreed on said adorableness, panicked flailing had ensued, and rather than forcing the blonde to to rent a crap tuxedo for the event at the last minute, Ignis had suggested that he borrow one of Noct's old ones. "You're of similar height and weight," Specs had said over the phone. "Why don't you have Prompto choose one he likes, and I can have it altered."

It was one of the only times the past week that Noct had heard his advisor's voice. Being dumped to the kiddie tables at the gala apparently hadn't gotten Ignis off the hook for organizing the stupid thing. Galas were apparently really fucking needy, and he'd been so busy finalizing details and chasing down florists and caterers and whatever other shit that it had consumed all his free time, and then some. Noct had resented it; whatever issues they were having, Ignis was still _his_ retainer, not a fucking party planner. Gladio, who'd been roped into managing Noct's schedule because Ignis had been absolutely swamped, slapped him across the back of the head and told him to get over it. "Iggy ain't thrilled about it either," the Shield had rebuked. "Don't make it harder for him."

The two teenagers situated themselves in front of the buffet tables, holding delicate flutes of Galahdian sparkling wine that Noct had snagged from one of the passing waitstaff. The table was artfully laid out, overflowing with sweet fruits from Tenebrae, creamy cheeses from Duscae and delicate little tarts filled with seafood from Altissia or game from Cleigne. Noct scowled at the tiny porcelain plates - he was fucking starving - and piled it high with cheeses and tarts.

"I don't even - are we _supposed_ to eat this?" Prompto wrinkled his nose at a slice of spiked fruit wedged between a pair of silver tongs. 

"Probably," Noct mumbled around a mouthful of cheese, "but I don't eat stabby things."

"That's good," Prompto said, abandoning the fruit for a meat tart. "I like that. You should write a book or something. 'How to Survive a Royal Party'. Bet it would sell." 

"Damn right it would. It would be like, top of the charts and shit."

"Yeah totally, and like...oh, wow." Prompto let out a low, appreciative whistle.

"Wow what?" Noct followed his friend's line of sight and choked on a pastry. "Oh."

Ignis had emerged from a crowd of dignitaries and was walking towards the buffet table. He was dressed in a sleek black dinner jacket with a satin shawl lapel, trousers that had been flatteringly tailored to highlight his ridiculous legs, a crisp white shirt, and to top it off, a black bow tie perfectly knotted at the base of his throat. The clothing hugged his elegant frame, showing it off like a proud lover. His hair wasn't styled up the way he normally wore it nowadays, but rather parted to the side and softly swept off his forehead. Noct thought that he wasn't wearing glasses, but then realized the advisor was wearing frameless spectacles that were nearly invisible on his face. The prince swallowed hard as all his blood drained from his brain directly into his cock. It obviously wasn't the first time he'd seen his chamberlain in formal wear, but _damn_.

Prompto jumped up and down, waving enthusiastically. A cube of cheese fell of his plate and bounced around on the floor. "Hey Iggy! Over here!"

Ignis smiled at them as he approached. "Good evening, Your Highness. Prompto. I'm glad to see you've arrived safely."

"Igster! You're looking _good!_ Like, really good!"

"Thank you." Ignis shyly adjusted his cuffs. "You both look quite sharp as well. That tuxedo suits you very nicely, Prompto."

"Aw thanks, Iggy. Gotta look the part, you know?"

"Indeed, and you're pulling it off with aplomb. Noctis, I trust you're ready for tonight?"

_Gods no_ , Noct thought. _This is gonna be a fucking disaster. I need you by my side where you belong._ What came out of his mouth, however, was a casual "I guess."

Ignis reached out and lightly brushed imaginary lint from the prince's shoulders. Noctis breathed in deeply - Specs had clearly broken out his cologne for the occasion, because he was lightly swathed in a spicy, exotic cloud of fragrance. He smelled incredible, and it took all of Noct's willpower to keep himself from burying his face in Specs' neck. "Just do exactly what we practiced, and make sure you relax during the dance. It's much easier to simply let your muscle memory take over. Your body will remember even if your brain doesn't."

"Uh, sure." Considering that he'd spent most of their practice time trying to convince his dick to behave, going with what his body remembered probably wasn't the best advice. He doubted his assigned partner would appreciate dancing with someone sporting a massive boner, but then again, who knew? Maybe Accordian women were into that sort of thing. 

"You're gonna be great, Noct," Prompto enthused. "You got this, man."

Noct smiled wanly and hoped that it wasn't too obvious that he'd rather yank out all his leg hair with a pair of tweezers than dance in front of a huge crowd.

"You'll be fine," Ignis agreed. 

"Will you?" Noct asked. He had never apologized to Specs for landing him in hot water. Noct still wasn't sure he really needed to, but something that felt an awful lot like remorse had been gnawing at him since Gladio had called him out. Noct could admit that he'd maybe been just a tiny bit concerned about whether Specs would still be angry with him. But as Ignis sighed and grinned warmly, Noct felt tension flow out of his body. He'd been stupid to worry. Since when did Specs ever stay mad at his prince?

"Me? Of course I'll be fine," Ignis assured him. Up close, despite the tasteful, bespoke clothing and the careful styling, his advisor looked unusually ragged around the edges. Deep purple shadows were visible through the concealer that Ignis had no doubt smudged beneath his eyes. He looked thin. Breakable. "I'll have Prompto to keep me company."

A hot, ugly flash tore through Noct. _That should be me_ , he thought. _He should be keeping_ me _company_. 

"Hells yeah!" Prompto held up his hand for a high five and Ignis obliged, looking faintly amused. "We're gonna have a great time, right Igs?"

"Absolutely," Ignis replied. If he was upset by his punishment, at being separated from Noct, it hardly showed. "As for the dinner itself, keep things simple. It's a gala, not a trade negotiation. No serious discussions will be had tonight."

"Whatever," Noctis muttered. "Would be easier if you could help me."

"I wish I could, Noct. I'm sorry I won't be there." Ignis sounded genuinely regretful, as if it wasn't Noct's own dumb fault that he'd be floating alone in a political sea surrounded by hungry sharks. "But remember, you've been training for this your whole life, whether you've wanted to or not," the retainer said with a wry twist of his lips. "I'm optimistic that you'll recall more than you expect."

Noct hoped like hell that was true, because otherwise, he was up shit creek without a paddle called Specs.

The three friends chatted until Ignis was beckoned by a Council member, and the bell that signaled the start of dinner rang soon after. The prince reluctantly made his way to his new official seat, but his gaze wandered around the vast space, trying to spot Specs and Prompto. And there, at one of the tables situated by the east wall, was a tall, willowy figure and his blonde shadow. They were too far away for him to make out their faces, which was good because it would mean Specs would never know if Noctis spent the entire dinner staring at him.

"Hey Princess. Try not to start any wars tonight, okay?" Gladio quietly rumbled in his ear as his Shield took his seat to the left. Noct was about to turn and tell the big man off when he froze.

_That smell. I know that smell._

It was cool and crisp and drifted from Gladio in a fresh wave that was entirely different from the lightly salty, sweat-and-detergent scent that his Shield usually carried. It washed away the ground beneath Noct's feet, knocking him flat on his metaphorical ass. It was the same fucking scent that he'd catch on Specs every once in a while, he just _knew_ it. _Gladio_ , he thought dumbly. _Gladio?? What the fuck. What the fuck!_

Noct's fist clamped tightly around his salad fork and he thought about jamming it into his Shield's arm instead of into the plate of raw vegetables set before him. Fucking Astrals, it wasn't like he was going to eat the salad anyway, especially when Specs wasn't around to nag him into it.

_Maybe it's not him. Lots of people wear the same fragrance, right? If it's something like, popular?_

He'd never even suspected it. Didn't want to suspect it, didn't want to think about it but thought about it anyway. His cheeks burned with mortification and fury - had they been laughing behind his back, this whole fucking time? 

_It can't be. They wouldn't. They wouldn't fucking dare!_

Noct wanted to drag Gladio away from the table, or no - maybe he wanted to create a scene right here and demand whether his Shield was fucking his future Hand. It was almost unbelievable that Ignis would prefer goddamn _Gladio_ over him, but then... it was almost too easy to imagine Gladio towering over Ignis, to see all that power wrapped around his advisor's lean body. Too easy to imagine Specs on his hands and knees, his fancy clothes torn off, mouth open and moaning as Gladio plowed into him the way that Noctis wanted to and fucking _gods_. Noct had no idea what sort of expression was on his face right now, but judging from the peeved look the king was aiming in his direction, he guessed that it wasn't appropriate.

Rearranging his features into something slightly less murderous, Noct forced his grip on the silverware to loosen and mechanically ate the food that was set before him. He could have been swallowing plate after plate of beans, for all he knew - he tasted nothing. He nodded absently when the Tenebraean representative sitting next to him - where Ignis should have been sitting - spoke to him, forcing himself to at least pretend he was paying attention. He reached for his wine glass frequently, satisfied that it never seemed to be empty no matter how often he drained it.

"Noct. Slow down - you're gonna be plastered before we get to dessert," Gladio warned quietly.

"Mind your own fucking business," Noct hissed back. He grasped his glass again and nearly yelped when his thigh was pinched hard.

"It is my fucking business," Gladio growled back. _Since Ignis isn't here._ "This ain't a high school kegger, so slow. Down."

Noct set the wine goblet back down with a scowl. Not because Gladio told him to, obviously. But his old man was glaring at him again, and he really didn't feel like dealing with yet another lecture when the gala was over. He had way more important, way more fucking infuriating shit to deal with.

He somehow managed to escape dinner with a minimal amount of conversation with the other guests at the table. There wouldn't be any glowing reports of his diplomatic skills, but at least he hadn't directly offended anyone by getting confused with shit like names and positions. Or at least, he didn't think he had. It was hard to concentrate when the only thing his brain could spit up was _Specs Gladio Specs Gladio Specs and fucking Gladio_.

That mantra was still streaming through his head when Noct was called away for the 'cultural' portion of the evening. He went reluctantly, feeling like a garula being led to slaughter. He hated dancing, and he hated being put on display. Noct vaguely wondered whether he'd somehow pissed off the person who'd come up with the theme for this year's gala, and then made a mental note to find out the person's name and have that asshole banished from Lucis when he became king.

Despite his lightheadness - or maybe because of it - Noct managed to stumble his way through the dances without falling on his face or breaking his dance partner's feet. She was the daughter of one of the lesser houses from Altissia, graceful and pretty and sweet and Noct forgot her name the minute the music ended. She wasn't anything more than a placeholder anyway, since the Luna had been 'detained' from attending the festivities.

It seemed like fucking decades before the gala finally wound down. Each time Noct tried to hunt down his retainers - and at this point, he didn't really give a shit which one he shook answers from - some dignitary of another would feel the need to wish him a happy Solstice or to congratulate him on his dancing skills. The incessant parade grated on his nerves, but Noct dutifully nodded and smiled robotically at each faceless interloper until it felt like his face would crack into a million pieces. Honestly, it was a fucking miracle that he hadn't imploded from the heavy, life-sucking knowledge that his two retainers might have literally been fucking around behind his back for gods knew how long. Because if goddamn _Gladio_ really was Ignis' mystery boyfriend, then no way in all the fucking circles of hell was Noctis gonna buy that this had only been going on for a couple months. 

"Heeeeeey Noct," Prompto drawled as he draped himself over the prince's shoulder and yeah, going by the toxic fumes rolling off him, his friend was starting to get sloshed. Or was there already, not that he was judging. "Great party!"

Noct hummed distractedly. "You think any party with free drinks is great." His eyes raked the thinning crowd. "Have you seen Specs?" 

"Oh, uh, yeah. I think I saw him headed that way." Prompto gestured uncertainly towards the back of the hall. It was a little hard to tell with the way his arm was flopping, but Noct thought the blonde was pointing at the service entrance.

"Wait here, okay? I'll be right back," Noct shouted behind him as he stumbled towards the closed doors.

"Sure! I'll just..." Whatever else Prompto had to say was lost as Noct moved out of earshot. He felt a little bad about abandoning his friend, but he needed to talk to Specs. Like, yesterday. The urgency pounded in his temples and set fire to the alcohol flowing freely through his veins. A tiny voice in the back of his head warned him that _this isn't a good idea, don't you remember what happened last time_ , but Noct ignored it. He was a fucking pro at tuning out things he didn't want to hear; practice made perfect, after all.

Noct snuck through the doors and found himself in a corridor that contrasted sharply with the grand finery of the ballroom. His shoes tapped loudly on the scuffed linoleum floors as waitstaff and other workers scurried through, impatient to begin cleaning up so that they could end their workday and go home, hopefully with a few unopened bottles of leftover wine. If they wondered why the Crown Prince of Lucis was wandering in their territory, none of them bothered to ask. 

The corridor branched off into the kitchens and several storage spaces. The low murmur of deep voices floated through a cracked door to one such room and Noct paused. _Is that...?_

Shuffling quietly, Noct peered into the dimly lit room and found two very familiar figures inside, standing together. Close together. _Very_ close together. They were talking too quietly for Noct to follow their conversation, but their body language was loud and pretty fucking clear. It was hard to misinterpret things when Gladio wrapped an arm around Ignis' shoulders, pulled the sagging figure in close and delivered a light kiss to the advisor's temple, then a second to his mouth. Ignis' head tilted upwards, clearly inviting the affection.

Rage swallowed the prince. He was enveloped by the stinking red maw of the beast, shaking helplessly as he witnessed the inescapable confirmation that his retainers had played him for a fucking fool. His entire body flushed fiery hot as he watched the Shield paw at what was his. Specs was _his_ , his only, and how dare he - how dare Gladio put his filthy hands all over what belonged to the prince? How dare Ignis allow Gladio's lips to press against his skin, when he wouldn't let Noct do the same? How _dare_ he? Was this what betrayal felt like? Fucking... _Ignis_. How could he do this to Noct? The prince almost wished that it had been some stranger, that his advisor had been banging some nobody he'd picked up off the street. This was...it was too much. The prince's chest heaved as he tried to suck in air but it was futile, the pressure in his lungs was too great. Spots danced in front of Noct's vision as his arm stiffly slammed into the door, pushing it wide open. 

"What the fuck. What the _fuck!_ " It wasn't exactly eloquent, but it seemed to get his point across if the way his two retainers jumped apart was any indication. That was good because honestly, Noct didn't think he was capable of saying anything else.

"Your Highness - " Ignis said the moment Gladio chimed in with his own confused "...the hell?"

Whatever Ignis was going to say, Noct didn't really want to hear it. He really fucking didn't. The prince charged his advisor, shoving at him while thwarted tears pooled at the corners of his eyes and blurred his sight. "How could you? You _knew_ and you still - ! With _him!_ Seriously, what the fuck!"

Ignis fell back against the wall, staggering clumsily under the force of Noct's anger. His eyes were wide and dark in an colorless face. "Noctis, please - "

"No! Shut up! You don't get to...!" Noct fisted the lapels of Ignis' dinner jacket, rumpling the expensive material. There was so much he felt like he needed to say, but with no idea exactly what to say or how to say any of it. The only thing Noct was certain of was that he wanted to _ruin_ this man, to make a mess of Ignis the same way Ignis had made a mess of him.

A large hand landed heavily on his shoulder. "Noct! What the fuck has gotten into you?"

"Don't touch me!" Noctis shouted. "Don't fucking touch me!"

"Gladio, let go," Ignis murmured softly. "I will manage this."

_So that's all I am to him? Something to be 'managed'?_

With a pissy huff, Gladio released the prince and stepped away. "I told you to lay off the drinks."

Noct ignored the Shield. He wasn't important, and Noct didn't want to deal with him right now. Not when Ignis was watching him so intently, a pained expression on his face. A small crease appeared between the advisor's furrowed brows. Noct resisted the urge to dig into with his fingernails, to rip open the skin and make it bleed. He resisted the urge to nuzzle it, to smooth it way with a kiss.

"Gladio? This entire fucking time, Specs, and it's been _Gladio?_ I don't even..." Noct shook his head. He didn't get it. It just made no sense. "You'd rather be with him? _Why?_ "

"The fuck are you even talking about?" Gladio demanded.

Neither prince and chamberlain acknowledged the irate, baffled Shield. "I'm sorry, Noct," Ignis whispered. He reached up and gently squeezed Noct's wrists. "I'm so sorry. I don't know how you -" Ignis cut himself off and shook his head. "It was never my intention to hurt you."

"But you did, anyway," Noct spit out. His jaw was starting to ache from being clenched so hard. He shook Ignis roughly, fingers still twisted in the other man's jacket. "Gods, I fucking _hate_ you," he said, voice pitched low for Ignis' ears only. "I hate you so much right now." 

Before he knew what he was doing, his right fist reached back and swung towards his advisor's head. Noct caught it at the very last second, just before it made contact with cheekbone, and _Six_ he wanted to paint his fury all over Ignis' skin. He couldn't though, not when Specs was regarding him so steadily with those eyes. Those fucking beautiful, open, expressive eyes. 

"Hey!" Gladio's grip was a chain around his raised arm. "Astrals, Noct, what the fuck do you think you're doing? What the hell's gotten into you?"

"I swear to the Six, touch me again and I'll have you thrown in the holding cells and I'll lose the fucking key," Noct warned, low and dangerous. His gaze remained locked on Ignis.

This time, the Shield didn't let go so easily. His grasp tightened. "You can't - "

"I can't what?" Noct sneered viciously. He finally tore his attention away to glare at the Shield. "Who's gonna stop me? You?"

"Gladiolus, please. It's fine." Noct's focus snapped back, trembling all over like he'd downed ten cans of Ignis' gross Ebony in one go.

"Like hell it is - "

"Hey guuuuuys! So this is where you all - oh. Um." Prompto's bright, slurred greeting sliced through the dark tension like sun through storm clouds. "Is, uh, is everything okay?"

Silence reigned for a beat or two. Noct's eyes narrowed. Six, that lovely face - overwhelming desire surged up without his permission and pooled in his belly. For the first time Noct realized how close he was to Specs, was aware of hot points where his Ignis' body was pressed into his own. It burned away some of his anger, but it wasn't nearly enough to make him get over Ignis' unfaithfulness. Specs would rather have Gladio in his bed, would rather let Gladio touch him than Noct. His lip curled with sheer disgust. 

"Everything's just fucking great," Noct said. "I mean, why wouldn't it be? I've got such loyal people around me." With one last little shove at Ignis' chest, the prince wrenched his wrist from Gladio's hold and stepped away.

"Oh yeah, totally. If you say so?" Prompto sounded terribly confused, but no one tried to explain and the blonde didn't ask. Noct figured his friend had been around them long enough to know when to keep his mouth shut. He was smarter than people gave him credit for.

"Let's go, Prompto. I need some fresh air after hanging around a bunch of stuffy assholes all night." He casually slung an arm around the blonde's slim shoulders and began to drag him from the room.

"Ready when you are!" Prompto's arm wrapped around Noct's waist. The prince couldn't tell whether it was out of friendliness or whether Prompto just needed the extra support to keep from falling on his face. It was probably the latter since the blonde kept twisting to try and catch a glimpse of the two other men as they walked out into the corridor. "Um, are Gladio and Iggy coming?" 

"Nah, we don't need 'em," Noct said loudly. "They can fuck off and do their own thing for all I care."

Prompto gave him a bemused look. "Are you sure you're okay?"

_Fuck no. Everything is definitely not okay._ "Yeah, Prompto. I'm just fucking awesome."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Noct is approaching Gollum territory, right? Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

The Winter Solstice holiday came and went. It was the one time of year that the Citadel shut down for official business, and Noct didn't know if his dad got really fucking bored or what from not having anyone to boss around, but it was also the one time of year that the king absolutely insisted the prince stay and hang around with him. Noct vaguely wondered whether his dad was trying to develop new torture techniques, because they both spent the week restless and completely miserable. Or at least, Noct was miserable. Whether it was solely because he was forced to spend time with his father...well. 

Prompto was stuck at home with his parents, who'd had a change of plans and decided to stay in Insomnia for the week. Noct knew this because Prompto had informed him before the holidays began, and then bitched about it over text pretty much every day. Noct found it comforting, the knowledge that at least one other person in the Crown City was as fucking wretched as him. Prompto was dependable that way.

He'd barely had any contact with Gladio or Ignis, aside from a couple perfunctory "Happy Solstice" texts which he didn't bother responding to. The Amicitias were a large House, and Gladio had an extensive network of aunts and uncles and cousins that popped up out of the woodwork this time of year. And Ignis...the chamberlain had always spent Winter Solstice at the Citadel, consoling Noct through his forced interaction with the king. The prince didn't know what Ignis got up to when his retainer was left alone during the holidays, and he didn't care. 

"Step with your left. Your _left_. Your _other_ left - fucking Astrals, Noct. Pay attention!"

Noctis frowned as he straightened up from the crouch he'd locked himself into for the last thirty minutes. Why was he putting up with this shit again? Oh right, he didn't have to. Noct let his practice weapon drop carelessly to the floor. "I don't feel like doing this anymore," he announced. He crossed his arms and threw Gladio a challenging look.

A black thundercloud darkened Gladio's scarred face. He bent to pick up the discarded weapon and shoved it into his charge's chest. "Well, too fucking bad. You had the holidays off and I let you skip yesterday, so get your shit together."

Noct stared his Shield down. "No."

Gladio's brow knit together and he heaved a lung-busting sigh. He walked over to the weapons rack and returned the practice blades to their appropriate spots. Then he slowly made his way back and stopped about a foot away from Noct, deliberately mirroring the prince's cross-armed stance. The prince scowled because _damn_ the overgrown asshole - Gladio cut a way more intimidating figure than Noct ever would, towering over him with his stupid giant tattoo and stupid muscles bulging all over the place. 

Was that why Specs was with Gladio? Was it a size kink thing? Ignis wasn't exactly a small guy - he was tall, and he might have looked slender but Noct knew there was a lot of strength hiding under those stuffy, professional clothes. Gladio though - Gladio was huge. Like, _all_ of him was huge. Noct had been in the locker room showers with his Shield enough times to reluctantly acknowledge that Gladio was packing something pretty fucking impressive in his pants. Maybe that was what Ignis really wanted from the Shield, to be held down by all that muscle as he was helplessly drilled by that massive cock. _Gods_ he really fucking hated Gladio right now.

"Are we gonna do this now or what?" the Shield demanded impatiently.

"Do what?" Noct spit back, glaring fire at the other man. Gladio remained stubbornly non-combustible. 

The big man rolled his eyes. "You got something to say to me, then say it. This is the only chance you get. If you don't wanna...well, I don't need a weapon in my hands to kick your ass into next week."

"You're with Specs." Even after flaying himself for over a week, Noct still couldn't wrap his head around it. Or maybe he could wrap his head around it too well, could too easily imagine his two retainers together. He wasn't fucking blind - he could see what a disgustingly pretty pair they made. He'd spent a large portion of his holiday camped out in his bed with his own dick in hand, held hostage by his imagination while it tortured him with a steady stream of sweaty hot Ignis being nailed by sweaty hot Gladio, over and over and fucking over. Noct had spent way too much of his time wondering whether Gladio would just go for it and sink his giant cock all the way into Ignis' body right away, or whether Gladio would slowly stretch Specs out with those thick fingers first, to get him loose and needy and begging for it.

The Shield sighed again, completely oblivious to the direction of the prince's thoughts. He scrubbed at the back of his head with a big hand. "Thought this might be about Iggy. Fuck, I thought you were playing all those times you acted like you were hot for him."

"I'm...I'm not - " Noct sputtered. He didn't finish his sentence, though. What was he going to say? That he _wasn't_ hot for his chamberlain? There was a limit to the amount of self-delusion that even Noct allowed himself to indulge in. "Since when are you into guys, anyway?" he asked accusingly.

"Since always," Gladio snorted. "You obviously haven't been paying attention." 

Well, no shit. Noct honestly couldn't have cared less about who shared his Shield's bed, and would have happily kept on not caring if Gladio had just kept his damn mitts off Ignis. "But why _Specs?_ You had no right!"

The Shield's face darkened. "Cut the bullshit, Noct. I had no right to what, try and make Iggy happy? To make myself happy? Are you really that selfish?"

Noct wanted scream, _yes I am that selfish because Specs is mine and mine only and how dare you touch him!_ He didn't, though, because he knew he would basically look and sound like a five-year-old throwing a tantrum. He also knew that Gladio would be all smug and insufferable and definitely call him out on it, and the Shield would also stoop to using it as extra ammo the next time Noct complained about being called a brat. Not for the first time, Noct wished he was allowed to banish Gladio or something. But no - as Gladio liked to remind him again and again and fucking _again_ , Noct was stuck with him. Amicitias inherited the position of Shield, _because who in their right mind would volunteer for this shit?_ Well. There were ways around that, and it wasn't like Gladio was the only potential heir of House Amicitia. Honestly, Iris would probably be way easier to deal with.

"I could have made him happy," Noct snarled. "I would have."

"Could have fooled me," Gladio said coolly. "You seem pretty fucking hellbent on doing the opposite."

The prince's gaze skittered sideways. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, don't you? Fucking Six, let me spell it out for you then," Gladio growled, leaning over until his face was inches from Noct's. "Iggy thinks you hate his guts. He blames himself - for what, I have no fucking clue, but it ain't the first time he's blamed himself for something _you_ did wrong."

Noct winced, thinking back to the night of the gala. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why Specs thought Noct hated him. Still - "It _is_ his fault," Noct blurted. "He _knew_ , he knew that I..." Fuck, why was it so hard to say out loud? "...that I was, um, interested."

"Shiva's icy tits," Gladio muttered. He swiped a broad hand down his face. "Okay, so you're interested. What exactly did you expect Iggy to do with that interest? Did you expect him to just drop down to his knees and start sucking your cock?"

_So what if I did?_ Noct thought. It was one thing to fantasize about it, though, and another to have someone else throw it in his face. "I don't know."

"You don't know? If you don't know, how do you expect Iggy to know?" Gladio inhaled deeply and let out his breath in an airy explosion. "Look, Noct. I get it, okay? I ain't gonna blame you for wanting a piece of Iggy when I want the same. Hell, I bet half of Insomnia would hit that."

_Yeah, but you're the only one that actually got some,_ Noct thought resentfully. Wait a minute. _Was_ Gladio the only one that managed to crawl into Specs' bed? Or were there other people who'd gotten to fuck his chamberlain? If so, how many others were there? Shit. _Shit_. Was Noct the only fool that was missing out? The prince's heart started pounding.

"But just because you want him doesn't mean he has to want you back, not like that. Don't get me wrong - the man's been wiping your ass for Six knows how long now, and for some reason, he ain't tired of it yet. He'll never get tired of it, because for better or worse, he loves your dumb ass. Do you hear me, brat? Iggy loves you, gods help him."

"Then why - "

"Because, genius, not all love has to involve sex," Gladio retorted, flicking one big finger against Noct's forehead. "Iggy probably thinks of you as his damn kid, or something. I mean, why not? He pretty much raised you himself."

Noct scowled. He wondered if this was some sort of twisted punishment for all those times he referred to Specs as a mama chocobo. 

"So he's not gonna fuck you, if that's what you're after. Even if he wanted to, which I'm pretty goddamn sure he doesn't. Besides, you don't belong to Iggy. He knows that."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Noct asked.

"In case you've forgotten, you have a fiancée. You know her, right? Blonde, blue eyes, communes with the gods, has the power to heal the Scourge. Real classy lady, from what I hear."

"So?" What the fuck did that have to do with anything? Luna was who the hell knows where, tripping around Eos doing godly shit. It wasn't like she'd stamped "Property of House Fleuret" on his ass or anything.

"Astrals, are you feeling super dense today or are you just trying to piss me off?" Gladio groused. "Just for fun, let's say that Iggy was actually willing get with your little whiny self. And then what? You guys fuck around for a couple of years until you get married and you throw him away while you get your happily ever after?"

"I wouldn't do that," Noctis said sullenly.

"Uh huh. So what, you'd keep him on as a sidepiece? Fuck him on the sly and let him follow you around all day while you play house with Lady Lunafreya? You're smoking something real good if you think Iggy would ever go for that."

_Maybe, maybe not._ Would Specs do that for him, once Noct was king? He could like, pass a decree or some shit. _Thou shalt spread thine legs for your king whenever it pleases him._

"So just leave him alone, princess. He already gives you so fucking much. Let Iggy find his happiness. He deserves it."

"With you?" Noct asked bitterly.

Gladio shrugged. "If that's what he wants, then yeah. You're not the only one that loves him."

It pissed Noct off, to hear Gladio talk about his chamberlain as if warming his bed meant that he was some sort of expert on what Specs wanted. As if Gladio knew better than Noctis did. _Except maybe he does. He sure as hell knows Specs' body better than I do._ The prince harshly slapped those thoughts away. 

Irritation aside, the prince had to begrudgingly admit that his Shield had a point. Despite everything that happened, Noct didn't want Ignis to think that he actually hated the advisor. No, Noct was _annoyed_ with Specs, he was displeased and frustrated, but hate? No. That couldn't be farther from the truth. _Stupid Specs,_ Noctis thought exasperatedly. _You should know better._ Of course he wanted Ignis to be happy. Why wouldn't he? He loved Specs, and if Ignis was seriously doubting that, then things between them had obviously spiraled way out of control. Since the chamberlain liked to drone on about shit like 'accountability' and 'obligation', maybe the first step to showing Specs that Noctis was totally worth the leap would be to show him that Noct was willing to take the first step.

____________________

The prince scowled as he yanked on his collar, staring at the plain wooden door before him. He hated this monkey suit with goddamn passion, but Specs always insisted that he dress up for important events, and - well. This was as important as it got. Taking a deep breath, Noct knocked.

A few moments later, one very confused looking Ignis Scientia opened the door. "Your Highness? To what do I owe the pleasure?" A flash of utter panic crossed his face. "Were we supposed to meet? Did I miss an appointment? I'm so sorry - "

"No! No, Specs, you're good. I just, uh, wanted to say hi. I brought some drinks?" Noctis held up the bottle of red wine clutched in his hand. He had no idea if it was any good, but considering the amount of yen he'd shelled out for it, he'd be pissed if it wasn't.

"I see? Oh, please come in," Ignis invited, looking mildly embarrassed about gawking while his prince stood around on the doorstep. 

"Thanks," Noct said as he followed Ignis inside.

Even though Noctis had always known where his advisor lived, this was only the second time he'd been to Ignis' place. It was an open space, small and spartan, but well cared for. Bookshelves lined the walls of the living area, stuffed to the brim with books as well as other knick-knacks that Ignis had accumulated over the years. Gifts from Noctis had a place of pride, displayed prominently on the shelves directly across from the entryway. Noct recognized the framed picture of himself, Prompto, Gladio and Ignis he'd given his chamberlain a couple years ago, and the lopsided clay bowls he'd made in art class when he was like, ten or something. It warmed the prince to know that Ignis kept them all in plain view, that he wanted obvious reminders of Noct here in the privacy of his home.

"You look very polished, Noct," Ignis commented. "Were you out with Prompto?"

"Uh, no." Noct's cheeks grew hot. "It's for, um. You."

"Me?" Ignis' eyebrows lifted in surprise before smiling, kindly amused. "Well, I'm sorry that I'm unable to reciprocate - I'm afraid you've caught me in a rather unkempt state." Ignis gestured down at himself, clad in a faded red zip-up hoodie and a loose pair of black joggers. He looked comfortable. Casual. Hot. "What's the occasion?"

"Nothing. Well, not _nothing_ , but it's not anything like, special."

"Oh?"

"I just wanted to talk," Noct said, and fucking Astrals, what the hell was he getting so embarrassed for? This was _Specs._ "Here." He thrust the wine into the advisor's hands.

Ignis took Noct's awkwardness in stride and looked down at the bottle. "I haven't tried this before," he said. "Thank you, Noct, this is very thoughtful of you. Would you like me to open it?"

"Sure." If nothing else, the wine would help loosen his tongue. And maybe some other things. 

Ignis excused himself to the kitchen to pour the drinks and Noctis plopped himself down on the couch. It was clear from the papers strewn about the dining room table and the open laptop that the chamberlain had been working before Noct's arrival, but Ignis ignored it as he returned with two glasses. He handed one to Noct and sat down next to him. "Cheers," Ignis said. "This is lovely."

They took sips of their wine and Ignis hummed in approval. Apparently it was a decent choice after all - Noct could hardly tell. To him, it just tasted like...wine. After a few quiet moments, Ignis set his glass on the coffee table. "Was there anything in particular you wanted to discuss, Noct?"

The prince took a deep breath and yanked at the tie around his neck. Six, it felt like the stupid thing was choking him. Ignis smirked at him and gently pulled at the knot, loosening the loop around his throat. "Better?" the advisor asked. 

"Yeah. Thanks." Noctis cleared his throat. "So anyway. I, um, wanted to clear some things up. About what happened at the gala. With you. And Gladio." Who, as it just so happened, was out of town on a training exercise with the Cor.

The easy, content expression on Ignis' face closed off as turned his head away from Noct. "Your Highness, I hope you'll accept my sincere apologies. It was never my intention to deceive - "

"Hey," Noct interrupted. "I get it. I was just, like, surprised, you know? I never thought that it would be _him._ I wish you'd told me. Why didn't you?"

Ignis took a deep breath. "I wanted to. _We_ wanted to, but we thought it best to hold off until we were absolutely certain of where our relationship was going. We're all tied so closely together, and I didn't want you to be affected in any way if Gladio and I decided to separate."

"You guys are still together?"

Ignis nodded. Jealous fury started to boil in Noct again, but he viciously snuffed it out. Now was not the time for that. He wanted to show Ignis that he could be a mature, reasonable adult. Noct took another gulp of wine and set his own glass down. 

"Does Gladio make you happy?" 

Ignis nodded again, shyly. 

"Good. I never should have said what I did, at the gala. I want you to be happy, Specs. That's important to me." 

Ignis finally looked at him then, peering at him from under thick, dark lashes. His shoulders sagged with profound relief. "Thank you, Noctis," he murmured. "It's wonderful to hear that."

"I talked to Gladio about this already. And he explained it to me, why you'd rather be with him than be with me."

Ignis' brows furrowed. "Noct - "

Noct held up his hand, cutting his chamberlain off. "Just...let me finish, okay? That night a couple of months ago - you know, when I was, uh, super drunk. I'm really sorry about that. It was too much to ask of you, because I didn't understand. But I get it now, Specs. I do. I'm gonna get married in a couple of years, and I get that you might want something more, um, long-term."

"Alright," Ignis said uncertainly.

Noctis scooted in towards his advisor, eliminating the sliver of space separating them. This close, Noct could smell the clean herbal scent of the soap and shampoo Ignis favored. He must have showered recently, if the residual dampness that still clung to his unstyled hair was any indication. "Look, I love you, Specs. I do. I love you so damn much. But I'm not gonna like, demand that you be with me. Because that would be really unfair to you, and I see that now. But it's gonna drive me crazy if I don't have _something_ , and I was just hoping that maybe...you'd give me a kiss?"

Ignis blinked at him. He suddenly looked very young. "Your Highness, I'm not certain that would be a good idea."

"Don't you love me?" Noctis asked tremulously.

The chamberlain's eyes softened. "Of course I do, Noct. Always. You know I do."

Something inside Noct relaxed to hear Ignis say it out loud. "Then please, Specs. Just one kiss. That's all I'm asking for. It's not that big a deal, is it?" 

Ignis stared him silently, his gaze incredibly green and bright as he searched Noct's face for...what, the prince didn't know. Noctis could see the little muscle in Ignis' sharp jaw jump and twitch as the chamberlain chewed over Noct's request. "I...I shouldn't. I must think of Gladio - "

"Please," Noct repeated. _Fucking Gladio, not even here and still getting in the way._ His gaze flickered towards Ignis' lips, which were stained dark by the wine. "I won't tell him, I swear. He'll never know. I just need...I need a reminder that you love me, that you'll always be by my side, like you promised."

Ignis swallowed and then nodded. "Okay," he agreed quietly. "Just one kiss."

"Thank you," Noctis breathed as he leaned in. The chamberlain's lips were warm and pillowy and just slightly chapped against his own and _gods,_ it felt good. They pressed lightly against his own mouth in a chaste kiss, but Noct wanted more. He nipped at Ignis' bottom lip and flicked his tongue out, probing against the closed line of Ignis' mouth and demanding entry. "Specs," Noct murmured. "Let me in."

The prince's fingers slid up Ignis' neck and tangled in his hair as the chamberlain's mouth obediently parted. Noct immediately took the offer with a small groan. He thrust his tongue into Ignis' mouth, thoroughly exploring the hot, wet space that opened up to him. Specs tasted delicious. There was the rich, berried spiciness of the wine, undercut by the dark bitterness of coffee and a slight hint of cool mint. The prince tightened his grip in Ignis' hair and pulled him in closer, mashing their faces together. Astrals, he'd never tasted anything better. It would be too easy to get addicted.

Too soon, the need to breathe became overwhelming and the prince released his hold on Ignis. He pressed his forehead against the chamberlain's, chest heaving as he tried to settle his racing heart. "Gods. That was good. So good."

"I'm glad," Ignis murmured.

"I knew it would be." Noctis licked his lips. It had been better than good, but...it wasn't enough. Not when Specs was so close, breathing the same air as Noct. He was right there for the taking. "Hey, Ignis. I know this might be a lot, but can I...can I touch you?"

Ignis frowned a little. "Noctis, that's not what - "

"I know," Noct interrupted, pulling back. "I know I said just a kiss. But...fuck, Specs, you can't just leave me hanging after that. I mean, didn't you like it? Don't you want more?"

The advisor's eyes widened and he looked a touch flustered. It was kinda fucking adorable, in Noct's opinion. "It was, ah...well. Nice. But I can't, Noct, this is very - "

"Come on," Noct wheedled. Shit, trust Ignis to still be playing hard to get. "Why can't you just give me what I want for once? Don't you wanna make me happy?"

Ignis' brows furrowed. "Of course I do."

The prince leaned in closer. "You said you love me, Specs, and I need this. I don't want to be mad anymore, you know? I want things to be right between us."

Ignis just looked at him, and Noct thought he could get lost in that gaze. It was so fucking intense, and the prince would have been fine with it being like this forever, just the two of them.

"Please, Iggy. Just this once, I swear."

Ignis closed his eyes and remained silent. He didn't say yes, but more importantly he also didn't say _no_. Ever so carefully, Noct reached up, delicately grasped Ignis' spectacles and slid them off. Folding them up, he tossed them onto the side table. With the frames out of the way, Ignis' face was completely exposed to him, and he was so exquisite that it fucking hurt. Noctis lightly trailed his finger across a high cheekbone, over the slight bump that raised the straight line of his nose, and down to those lips that were now swollen with Noct's affection. The prince trailed down the long, pale column of the throat and rested his hands on Ignis' shoulders. His thumbs rubbed along prominent collarbones through the thick cotton material of the hoodie.

"This okay?" Noct whispered. "Can I? Please?"

Ignis was breathing fast and shallow. Noct could feel the rapid up-down-up-down of the advisor's chest. He gave a short nod.

The prince took hold of the zipper pull and deliberately began to draw it down. The teeth on the zipper separated one by one, slowly revealing an ever lengthening stretch of pale skin. Once he reached the end, Noct replaced his hands on Ignis' shoulders. "Specs. Look at me."

After a heartbeat, Ignis' eyes opened. The pupils were blown out, leaving just a grassy sliver around the edges. He wordlessly watched his prince with an expression that Noct didn't know how to interpret, but whatever - just having Ignis' full attention on him again sent a flare of hot need straight to his groin. Slowly, the prince peeled the hoodie away from his chamberlain's body, leaving him bare from the waist up. 

Noct had seen Ignis shirtless countless times, but _gods_ he was sure that Specs had never looked so fucking delicious. Ignis was all efficient, lean muscle wrapped around an graceful frame of bones, hours and hours of hard training manifesting itself in a way that was very different than it did in Gladio or even Noct. The prince's eyes caught on the metal skull pendant that was nestled in the hollow of Ignis' throat, and a savage jolt of possessiveness shook him. That skull was Noct's gift, a symbol that marked Specs as his. _Mine,_ Noct thought fiercely. _This is all mine._ Fuck Gladio if he thought he could have it.

The prince pushed at Ignis' shoulders and the other man read his intent perfectly. The advisor settled flat on his back, and Noctis eagerly climbed on top of him, straddling his slender hips. Ignis had invested in a large, comfortable sofa that easily accommodated them both. The prince tried not to think about how it was big enough for even Gladio and Ignis to have sex on it. Noct dipped his head and nibbled along the advisor's neck. He worked his way down, laying a trail of feathery kisses along Ignis' sternum and then over to each dusky nipple. Noctis lapped at them eagerly until they were tight and peaked and Ignis was shivering under him. The prince's fingers roamed the naked expanse of Ignis' body, over all the peaks and valleys and ridges, wanting to memorize what the chamberlain felt like under his touch. Noct's cock was achingly hard in his trousers, and he began to subconsciously rock back and forth, rutting himself on Ignis' hipbone.

"Gods, you're so beautiful," Noct breathed. "So hot." He kept his gaze locked on Ignis' as his exploration traveled downwards and lingered along the waistband of Ignis' pants. When the advisor didn't protest, the prince took it unspoken permission to continue. So he slid his hand beneath loose clothing and the underwear and sighed with contentment when he found what he was looking for.

Ignis was barely hard, his cock laying mostly limp between his legs in a nest of short, coarse hair. The chamberlain's eyes fluttered closed once more, and a small crease appeared between his brows as Noct palmed his cock and began to work it. The prince kneaded the soft flesh the way he liked to when he was spending quality time with his own dick. The prince wanted this to be good for Specs. He wanted Specs to remember it and think about it when he was fucking Gladio and maybe one day ask Noct for more. 

Soon enough, Ignis was hardening and lengthening in his grip and fucking Six but it was goddamn perfect. _I knew he wanted this._ The chamberlain's cock felt like it was made just for Noct's hand - it was heavy and thick and Noct could just touch his fingers together when he wrapped them around the base. It was damp and sticky under Ignis' clothes and there wasn't enough space for Noct to move his hand freely, but at this point, he didn't have the patience to make Specs take off the rest of his clothing. The prince did, however, want something else.

"Specs. Specs, does it feel good? Do you like that?"

The only answer the advisor gave was a small whimper. He'd flung his arm over his eyes, entirely hiding them from view.

"Specs. Can you...can you touch me too? I need you to, Specs. Six, I'm gonna die if you don't. Please."

No response was forthcoming, but that was fine. Noctis knew from personal experience that it could be a little hard to think when all the blood rushed south from big brain to little brain. He fumbled open his fly with one hand and groaned when his erection sprang free from its tight confines. His cock was leaking everywhere, and yeah, the pants were ruined if the wet patch soaked into his crotch was any indication. The prince clasped Ignis' free hand and guided it to his dick, encouraged him to grab hold.

"Yes, Specs," he gasped. "Yes, fuck, just like that. So good, _more._ "

Noct was close. He'd already been riding the edge just jerking Specs off, but now with his advisor's long, slim fingers enclosed around his cock, he was just about ready to burst. He thrust frantically into Ignis' loose fist, panting wildly.

"Oh gods, oh fuck, Ignis! Yes, _yes_ \- " 

With a strangled shout, Noctis erupted. It felt like his life was being squeezed out of his dick - it had been a long time since he'd had an orgasm so intense. The prince collapsed against his chamberlain, not caring that he was smearing his own come all over his nice suit. Fucking Six, that was everything he'd dreamed of. He could only imagine how much better it would be if he was to ever unload _inside_ Ignis.

Noct was vaguely aware of that the chamberlain was still hard, and so the prince kept pumping, lazily twisting his hand. "That's it," he murmured. "You take such good care of me, and now I'm gonna take care of you. Come for me, Specs. That's it, do it for me - "

All it took was one more squeeze and Ignis stiffened underneath him. His back arched as he spilled hot over Noct's fist with a low, ragged moan, adding to the mess between them. The prince grinned languidly, feeling happier and more satisfied than he had in a very long time.

"That was amazing, Specs. You're amazing, you know that?" He wriggled upwards and pressed a tender little kiss on the curve of Ignis' chin. The chamberlain nodded shakily, his eyes still covered.

"Hey Specs, you alright under there?" Noctis asked teasingly. "Let me see you."

Ignis swallowed hard, his breathing harsh and uneven. When he moved his arm, Noct could see liquid gathered in the corners of Ignis' shining eyes. Their exertions had left the chamberlain's face dazed and flushed. "Hi there, welcome back," Noct greeted lightly. "You okay?" 

"I'm fine," Ignis replied automatically, his voice thick and trembling. Gods, if Specs was this wrecked from a simple handjob, Noct couldn't help but wonder what he was like after being properly fucked. 

"Good." Noct kissed Ignis again, this time at the corner of those fantastic lips. "Sorry, I didn't mean for things to get so intense, but I just couldn't help it, you know?" Noct chuckled. "You just _do_ things to me."

The chamberlain nodded again, lids dropping closed. _Man, Specs must have really liked it if he's is this blissed out,_ the prince thought smugly. Noctis might not have like, a ton of sexual experience, but no one knew Specs better, no one loved him more, and that obviously counted for a lot. _And now I know how to get him to shut up when I want him to stop nagging at me._

With a contented sigh, Noct dropped his head against Ignis' bare chest once more. "Thanks, Specs. I really needed that. I love you, so fucking much."

The other man was quiet for so long that Noct idly wondered whether his advisor - his Specs - had fallen asleep. But then Ignis reached up to gently card his fingers through Noct's hair, carefully smoothing the sweaty strands. "I love you too, Your Highness."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry... This entire fic was actually written in service of that last scene between Iggy and Noct, so. Yes. That's the way it was always going to end! Thank you so much for sticking with this, and to everyone who left kudos and some amazing comments. 
> 
> Until next time!


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